


To be whole

by Kurumi_tan, My time at somewhere (Kurumi_tan)



Category: My Time At Portia (Video Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dorks in Love, Eventual Smut, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, M/M, Social Anxiety, Will add tags as the story progresses, please bear with me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:27:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 34,961
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24358069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kurumi_tan/pseuds/Kurumi_tan, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kurumi_tan/pseuds/My%20time%20at%20somewhere
Summary: Having been abandoned by her father since her mother's passing, Rosemary had lived with her aunt Kendra from a young age. Living underground for most of her life and with limited resources, Rosemary is, by all means, desperate.With the promise of a brand-new start, she does what she never thought she would: She moves to Portia, and accepts to inherit the old workshop her old man had.A few months later, she and Ginger encounter a young man fighting for his life.This is the story that follows the journey of two young builders that are looking for just one thing:To be whole.Please be aware that there would be spoilers for the game. NFSW chapters are labeled so it should be safe to read, it is SFW from chapters 1-14.
Relationships: Builder/Gust (My Time At Portia), Ezra/Albert, Female Builder/Gust (My Time At Portia), Ginger/Dr. Xu, Male Builder/Albert, Rosemary/Gust
Comments: 42
Kudos: 62





	1. Infatuated

**Author's Note:**

> I've been playing a lot on this quarantine, this is one of the games I have fallen in love with immediately, keeps my levels of stress bearable. There are not (and never would be) enough Gust/Builder stories (or Xu/Builder stories, might write one too), so this is my tiny contribution to the fandom.  
> Now, I've lost the count of how many times I've clicked on a fic searching for something specific just to realise I can't find it or is something just mentioned on a fic of 20+ chapters so, I've decided to make things easier for you:  
> Female builder/Gust - Almost all the fic  
> Male builder/Albert - Ezra makes his first appearance in chapter 10  
> First Mature chapter - Chapter 15 (Kind of a sex talk)  
> First Explicit chapter (still unpublished) - Chapter 16
> 
> Lots of love! Please stay safe.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the builder meets Gust

It was a cold night. The wind danced across the floor, whistling and making it almost impossible for Rosemary to get some much needed sleep. Even under the warm sheets, she felt herself shivering. After all, it was just the first day of spring, when the cold air of winter was only beginning to get warm. She didn’t know what she expected from the workshop she had inherited from her father, but it certainly wasn't this. She had supposed that it would be an old building, but she wasn’t prepared for the missing floor. She was going to have to fix that as soon as possible if she wanted to get some sleep.

She opened her eyes as the first ray of sun hit the window. Groaning, she got out of bed to face the new day she had ahead, getting dressed, she prepared herself for her day. She was making her way up to the Commerce Guild to meet with Presley when she bumped into Emily, the young woman that lived on the plot across from her. She was a really sweet, hardworking girl, with a kind smile. She made Rosie feel like making herself at home wasn’t going to be that difficult at all.

But, of course, she’d had to meet Higgins as well. 

He’d turned up that same afternoon when she’d barely managed to convince Presley of her abilities as a builder, completely exhausting herself. Higgins managed to snatch the first commission she was going to take. It seemed he’d hated her as soon as he’d seen her. 

“Is he always like that?” she asked after he had left.

“I would like to say no, but yes, he is. He's the owner of the current number one workshop. Brilliant businessman, but I don't like the way he does things. I’m sorry Rosie, that was the last one we had today”,he added, but as soon as he finished his sentence, a tall, red-haired boy entered the building.

“Hey there Presley.” 

“Or not”, he shrugged. “Arlo! What is going on, boy?”

“We're looking to build a bridge to Amber Island.” Replied the young man who was apparently called Arlo.

“So, the Mayor finally put up the money? Well! Young Rosie here is up for the challenge” he said, putting his hand on her shoulder, oblivious to the panic that now rushed to her face.

"Yeah, Mayor Gale figured that place could be a real tourist attraction, with the haunted cave and all.” he said nonchalantly.

“Rose, please check your Pa's Workshop Handbook to see if he has a bridge diagram in there. I remember he built a bunch”, Presley said, turning back to Rosie, “Feel free to tell me if you have any troubles.”

“I will. Thank you, Presley”.

She waved both men a goodbye and left.

She would be lying if she said she wasn’t a little bit scared of having accepted such a big project so soon after arriving, but she would figure it out. She always did. That was what made her who she was, despite living almost all her childhood without her parents.

Rosie headed home to fix her wooden floor. Luckily, she had enough wood from all the gathering and chopping, so she didn’t have to go out for a second round. When she finished and looked out her window, she was surprised the moon was already glowing in the sky.

It was a beautiful night, and all she had done in two days was sleep and work, it would be a shame if she wasted the opportunity to take a walk, tired or not. So there she was, walking absently to the river, the breeze cold against her skin. She got to the shore and let the scent of the water and the grass fill her lungs. She closed her eyes and let the worries of the day slip away.

“Hello there”, said a soft voice.

Startled, she looked behind the bushes to find a couple resting on the grass. Rosie thought they were the prettiest people that she had ever seen. The young woman had gorgeously wavy red hair, pale skin and pretty green eyes. The young man, on the other hand, had long blonde hair, and she couldn’t help but notice the small freckles that adorned his face, his lips slightly parted. Rosie felt a wave of nervousness wash over her when she noticed she was staring at them. 

“Ah, I’m sorry. I-I didn’t notice there was someone here already. I didn’t mean to interrupt.” she babbled.

“No, no, don’t worry, just keep it low. This guy sleeps like a rock.” she said, the warm smile the young woman gave her as she spoke melted away Rosie’s uneasiness. “My name is Ginger; you must be Rosie. You are from Barnarock, right?”

“Yes. How do you…?”

“Gale is my dad”, she answered, nonchalantly. “Besides, it’s a small town, we don’t have many new faces everyday.” she smiled at her again, but this time, Rose gave her a smile of her own. “What is it like there?”

“Well, it's hot and dry, we don’t have that many resources around. It was a hard life, not like here in Portia ”, Rosie said it with a sad smile. She’d wondered, sometimes, if Barnarock had been the reason her father had left her to be raised by her aunt after her mother had died. The desire to see how the rest of the world was, and the tiredness of seeing the same dry landscape every day was one of the reasons she’d come to Portia, and maybe she at least had that in common with her father. Regardless, she’d always been curious to see what was so special about the world that he would leave his only child almost on her own. 

“Ah, I’m sorry to hear that. I've read about it in a book before, but I can't really grasp it. I wish I could go there and many other places."Ginger said, dreamingly.

“Why don’t you go?” Rosie felt as though she was stepping on unwanted territory but couldn’t help to ask.

It was Ginger’s turn to give a sad smile. "My condition doesn't allow me to travel much, but once I get better, I will."

“I hope you get better soon.” Rosie found herself saying. It was really easy to get along with Ginger. She didn’t notice at what point she had sat by her side, both contemplating the river, but a soft snore reminded her she was actually interrupting. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks. “Is… is this your boyfriend?” she asked sheepishly. This, however, made Ginger giggle.

“Ahaha, no, no, he is my brother. He just likes to act like a chaperon.”

“A chaperon…?” Rosie asked, her cheeks still a soft shade of pink.

“You two are so loud! Now I’m wide awake.” A voice grumbled from somewhere to the side of the two sitting ladies. Rosie would deny to her death she’d screamed in that moment.

“Gust! Be nice!” Ginger scolded.

The blond sat up in the grass, his cold, green gaze meeting Rosie’s. She could feel her skin burn.

“S-sorry, I won’t disturb you anymore.” Rosie mumbled quietly

Gust slowly lifted himself from the grass, looking away.

“It’s getting late anyway”, he shrugged, his gaze softening a little bit. “We should head back.”

Gust extended his hand to Ginger, helping her to her feet. Rosie stood also and Ginger took her hands, her skin was incredibly soft.

“It was nice talking to you. I hope you can drop by and talk for a little bit. If you want, of course” Ginger said softly to her.

“Would that be okay?”

“That would be more than okay. I’ll be looking forward to it!” she said with a wide but soft smile.

“I will. Goodnight, Ginger” she responded with a smile of her own.

* * *

“It’s a woman!” Albert had entered A&G Construction with a wide grin that morning, and if Gust hadn’t been used to the kind of outbursts of his best -and only- friend, Albert would have startled him. Instead, he didn’t even bother to stop sketching the new project.

“I don’t know what you are talking about.” Gust replied demurly 

“The new builder. She is a woman! And Presley says she is pretty.”

“You are going to get slapped again, Albert.”

“No, no, I have a different plan this time. And I have the feeling she’ll stop by every now and then, so this is perfect!”

Gust stopped sketching to look dryly at his friend, “She _is_ a builder; she _is_ going to come. How is this ‘perfect’?”

“Emily said I was being too pushy by reaching for her every day. So wouldn’t it be better if it was the girl who came to me?” he said, wiggling his eyebrows at his friend.

Gust rolled his eyes at the stupid grin his friend was giving him. Of course Albert would be delighted if Maurice’s child was a girl, even more so if she was a ‘pretty girl’. Gust had heard about her the day before, but he had yet to see her. Not that he cared, but she was a potential client.

“Whatever you say, Albert. But I won’t bring you ice if you get slapped again.”

After a few more minutes of listening to a very excited Albert, they fell under a nice silence. They worked like that for a few hours, with the soft humming of Albert and the sound of the pencil against paper until it was time for Gust to leave. He grabbed his bag and headed to the door.

“Say hello to Ginger for me, would you?” was the last thing Albert said before Gust closed the door.

He walked to the lake, bag on shoulder, as usual but stopped for a few moments at the old workshop. The only different thing about it was the small stone furnace that was against the fence and the new sign on the door. He wondered what was so special about her to have the entire town talking about her arrival, besides being Maurice’s daughter.

The rest of the day carried on as usual with him painting at the lake and QQ sleeping at his feet. When it got later into the day, Gust decided it was time to pack up and get home to his sister, Ginger, so he could take her out to get some exercise. She was against him accompanying her, always insisting that she was perfectly capable of going out by herself. But, truthfully, after she’d collapsed when she was twelve, Gust was scared something might happen if she was on her own. 

So there he was, going on a night stroll with his little sister. He didn’t mind, really. He was willing to spend as much time as he could with her, that was the reason he also tried to eat and have dinner with her. And he would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the night strolls.

He hadn’t realised he’d fallen asleep, but now he could hear his sister laughing. He could hear someone else, too.

“You two are so loud! Now I’m wide awake.” He grumbled at them. He heard the little scream that escaped the stranger’s lips.

“Gust! Be nice!”, his sister scolded.

He sat up on the grass, turning himself to look at the stranger, but whatever he was going to say died right on his lips. His eyes were trapped in her blue ones, her dark hair framing her face. It had to be Rose, the girl Albert had been talking about. Gust wasn’t blind, he had an eye for beauty. That didn’t mean he had interest in relationships or courting or whatever Albert liked to do in his free time.

“S-sorry, I won’t disturb you anymore”, he heard Rose babble.

Gust slowly lifted himself from the grass, looking away; his face was starting to feel warm. What the hell was happening to him? He had seen plenty of pretty girls back in Atara, and he’d never blushed, not even once.

“It’s getting late anyway.” he tried to shrug nonchalantly, attempting to focus his gaze on anything else. “We should head back.”

Gust took Ginger’s hand and helped her get on her feet. He took two steps in the direction of the city gate when he noticed Ginger wasn’t following, so he waited.

“It was nice talking to you. I hope you can drop by and talk for a little bit. If you want, of course”

“Would that be okay?” she asked shyly.

“That would be more than okay. I’ll be looking forward to it!” she said with a wide but soft smile.

“I will. Goodnight, Ginger.” The smile she gave was warm and sincere, and it certainly made her sister happy. Gust denied the little flutter in his chest.

When they were far enough away, Ginger let a big smile show on her face.

“She is nice, isn’t she?”

“I guess.” he offered. “But, isn’t she a bit small to be a builder?”

“Gust!”

He was damned.


	2. This weird thing called jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the poor guy doesn’t even realize

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't express in words how grateful I am to Dizzy_Lizzy for being my Beta reader. I couldn't have asked for more. So here it is! The second chapter of this not that slow-burn story!

The next few days were a bit busy. Rosie spent most of the time running around from one point of the town to the other, mining, chopping and gathering resources without stopping to finish the commissions on time. Except for the bridge, of course. She was struggling with the materials, after all, her father had left her with only the workshop, the worktable and the assembly station. Well, at least she couldn’t say she didn’t know the town anymore. Luckily for her, the fear of not getting along with people had mostly evaporated - even with her social anxiety - since everyone in town was kind… at least everyone who wasn’t Higgins.

Or Gust. 

She honestly thought Ginger had gotten every ounce of kindness Gale had to pass down, and that Gust got nothing at all … although she was lying to herself, since she had seen firsthand the love he had for his family, especially for Ginger. True to her word, Rosie went to her house every now and then to visit, as she promised, and the girl loaded her with questions about everything, from the abandoned ruins -where she definitely couldn’t go- to Barnarock. Ginger was the closest thing she’d ever had to a best friend; she was really smart, and even if she was the kindest person she knew, she also enjoyed teasing Rosie a lot, if only to make her blush.

It was almost impossible to _not_ see Gust almost every time she visited their home. But that was it; she saw him, but he didn’t care to speak or acknowledge her. Not even at A&G. She wondered if it was because she had sneaked on him and Ginger that night.

Albert on the other hand, tried to woo her as soon as she’d met him. He’d seemed serious the first few times, but she had heard about the womanizer this man was, so she’d decided to start jokingly flirt back. She did it as obviously as she could so that Albert wouldn’t get the wrong idea that she was really interested in him. She liked the man, but she couldn’t see him as more than a good friend. Apparently, he’d gotten the memo because, while he didn’t stop flirting with her, he changed his approach to be more playful.

She went to A&G Construction with the intentions of getting her work table upgraded. She and Albert were playfully flirting when Gust, seemingly, had enough. 

“Can you please get a room?” he asked, exasperated. “I am trying to work.”

An uncomfortable silence filled the room. Albert smiled apologetically at her.

“So…” he broke the silence, “see you at lunch time?”

“I’m sorry, Albert. I need to finish this bridge today. I really should get going.”

“It's ok. At least let me walk you.” Albert titled his head to show he understood, and notioned towards the door.

Rose petted QQ one last time while Albert grabbed his ridiculous brand-new hat and closed the door behind them. He offered her his arm, and they started to walk the short way to her home.

“He hates me, doesn’t he?” she asked, looking at the ground as she walked.

“He isn’t fond of noise in the office. Or happiness for that matter. But I don’t think he hates you.”

Rose bit her lip thoughtfully for a moment.

“Do you think a peace offering would help?”

“I don’t know”, he offered sincerely. “But as I said, I don’t think he hates you. He is just… well, Gust. Although he does like bacon fish rolls. And umbrellas.”

“Umbrellas?” she asked, confused.

“He thinks they’re classy.” He chuckled.

Both friends laughed for a moment. They stopped at her gate, and she was still smiling.

“I guess I should go. Good luck with that bridge!”

“Thank you, Albert.”

He’d turned to leave when he stopped, as though there was something on his mind.

“Rosie?”

“Yes?”

“Thank you.”

She stared at him dumbfounded, the question in her eyes.

“You know, for being a friend. Not slapping me the first day we met.”

She smiled at him; he was one of the biggest dorks she had ever met.

“You’re welcome, handsome” she teased with a smile, continuing the banter they had had earlier.

“Come on, if you talk to me like that I might start to believe you,” he said it with a hand on his chest, right over his heart. He tried to sound sincere, but a smile sneaked over his lips and soon they were both laughing together again.

“Just go, Albert.” she said, still smiling at him. He was certainly the most unexpected friend she’d ever encountered.

“See you tomorrow”, he said, leaving her to her own thoughts.

“Well,” Rose said to herself, “that bridge won’t build itself.”

* * *

Gust decided to take the long road to the river after having lunch with his sister. He wasn’t sure why he’d snapped like that in the office, and he didn’t want to explain anything to anyone - especially not to Rosemary. He tried not to think about it all too much. However, even stood in front of his blank canvas, trying desperately to focus on the scene in front of him, the situation kept rewinding in his mind over and over again. There was something that irritated him from watching them flirt. He convinced himself it was the fact that they were supposed to be working and that Rosemary was a distraction to Albert.

But there was something that set him off about the way that she had leaned over his friend, or batted her beautiful eyelashes at him. He hadn’t thought of the words before they escaped his mouth, of course. What he called “speaking the truth” was actually hiding the fact he lacked social skills. Albert had learned to live with that fast; he knew he didn’t mean half of the things he said to him. Even the compliments he gave him sounded harsh, but Albert could see what he was trying to say every time.

Not that he actually knew what he meant when he’d said that, nor why he was so angry.

When his mind eventually returned to reality, the sun was already gone, and his canvas as blank as it had been a few hours ago. He had been standing in the same position for god knows how long and he was sore. Oblivious to his mental rant, QQ was sleeping at his feet. Gust sighed and picked up his things. There was no use waiting for the inspiration to come if he was that upset, and either way, it was almost time to go for his sister. 

They ate a small dinner together before they parted for the river. If Ginger noticed he was a little absent minded, then she didn’t say anything. He knew Ginger was talking to him while they walked to the river, still, he couldn’t pay attention for some reason. That was until she nudged him in the ribs.

“Gust!”

“Ow! What was that for?”, he asked.

“I said,” she breathed in deeply before mouthing slowly so her brother could finally get the message she was trying to convey, continued, “Rosie finished the bridge!”

“What?” his gaze turned to the place where the wooden pillars once stood and saw that a sturdy wooden bridge now took their place. He froze, his mouth slightly agape.

“I knew she would prove you wrong!” she said with a smug look on her face.

“I didn’t say anything.” He answered as nonchalantly as he could and prayed to the gods that the night was dark enough to hide the light blush he was sure he had on his face.

“You said she was small for being a builder.”

“She _is_ small” he crossed his arms in front of himself. “Still, I didn’t say she wasn’t going to do it.”

Ginger puffed her cheeks knowing her brother was just being stubborn as always. He may not have said that, but he certainly had implied that Rosie would not be able to do it. 

“Come on, let's go and gather your shells. It’s getting chilly tonight.” Gust grabbed his sister by the arm and led her away from not only the bridge, but the topic of conversation as well.

They were at the shore for a few hours.The hour was late, and they decided it was time to walk home for the evening. Ginger was adamant about trying to convince him to admit that he was wrong. She was at the point of giving up when she saw something laying on the grass. Or rather someone.

“Gust, wait” she said softly to her brother, who was just a few paces ahead of her. Gust followed her gaze until his eyes stopped on the sleeping figure.

_You have to be kidding me,_ Gust thought to himself. 

“What is she doing sleeping here?”

Rose was lying in the middle of the grass field, surrounded by curious llamas, some of which were nosing her clothes with interest. Gust rolled his eyes and made an attempt to leave when his sister stopped him by the arm.

“We can’t just leave her here!”

“Why not? Her home is just over there, she’s practically right next to it.” Gust said, pointing towards the silhouette that was the house of the currently passed out builder.

“She is my _friend_ , Gust. If you are not going to help me get her home, then I’ll stay with her.”

Ginger really gave him no option; he couldn’t risk her staying there and catching a cold. There really was no use in having Rosemary catch a cold either, he thought to himself, since it would probably stop her from working for a few days. And Albert and Ginger would bite his head off if that happened simply because he had decided to leave her there. So, he shooed the llamas and approached the sleeping girl, lifting her effortlessly. He tried not to think what would happen if she woke up in his arms. Or how soft her skin was against his own. Or her small, pink lips.

That all went right through the window the moment she curled up on his chest, tickling his neck with her soft, warm sighs of air - the sensation made him shiver. He froze right that moment.

Gust was secretly pleased that Ginger had rushed ahead to make sure the door to the builder’s home was unlocked, and that she didn’t see the shade of bright red he turned.

“It’s open!”, his sister shouted from the door excitedly, successfully snapping him from his stupor.

Gust walked the short distance, taking care in trying not to wake up the petite builder. She smelled like grass and wet dirt, as well as a soft sweet scent that had to be hers. When he got to her door, he found that Ginger had left it wide open, so he was able to enter easily with Rosie in his arms. He followed the only light that was lit, and discovered Ginger arranging the sheets so he could drop her friend on her bed. He kneeled down onto her bed to do it, and when he tried to get up he noticed Rosemary had grabbed his shirt. 

Ginger giggled as softly as she could when he looked at her in panic, desperately asking for help. It was obvious that his sister wasn’t going to help him, so he had to take the small hands that were currently grabbing his clothes and unclench her fingers as softly as possible.

That’s when he noticed the cuts.

Her hands were full of tiny scars beginning to heal, and others that seemed more recent. She flinched when he accidentally touched one of the fresher cuts, and he jumped, scared that she would wake up. He sighed softly in relief when he noticed she was still sleeping and his jerk hadn’t woken her. He got out of her room as quickly as he could before anything else happened.

Meanwhile, Ginger tucked her friend under the sheets. She turned off the light and met her brother at the front door. 

They said nothing to each other, but Ginger mouthed a ‘thank you’ to Gust, he rolled his eyes in return. They walked under the glowing moon on the road home, Ginger smiling all the way back.


	3. You get to the heart of a man by his stomach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Gust realizes he cares.

Rosie woke up, as always, in her room. She wondered if she'd gotten there by herself or if she'd been dragged to her bed by one of the civil corps, like it usually happened. She'd learned by now to leave her door unlocked since, more often than not, she ended up collapsing from fatigue at some time in the night. At this point, it didn't matter how she made it home, though the last thing she remembered was sitting on the grass to take a little break so she would be able to finish the last bit of her way home.

Rosie got up from bed and took off her clothes with the intention of throwing them to the clothes basket when she noticed that a cinnamony, musky smell lingered on the fabric.

_Great_ , she thought.

That meant she had been dragged to her bed, which meant she had to thank The Civil Corps _again_. Although this scent was much different from any of the Civil Corps fragrances that she was used to. Arlo's was grassier, Remington's could be described as citrusy, and Sam's was definitely floral so she had no idea who to thank this time. She decided that it was easier if, at the end of the year, she made gifts for all three of them for dragging her ass to her home every time.

Rosie tossed the clothes to the basket and proceeded to continue her plans for the day. After all, she had yet to apologize to Gust. Although she had yet to figure out _why_ it was so important for her to be on good terms with him. Rose tried to convince herself that it was the fact that she was a friend of both his sister and his own best friend but not with _him_ , but that thought didn't exactly equate to a real reason. She shrugged it off while she took a hot shower to rinse all of the dirt that had been practically concreted to her skin from the day before, she made a quick mental note to change the sheets later.

Fully clothed and clean, she went to the kitchen with some specific ingredients in mind. The plan was simple; she would take the boys some food and leave a short, written apology. She knew Albert would complain about not receiving food also if she just took it for Gust, so she was covering all of her bases.

One look at the window told her it had rained at some point during the night, but for now, the soft drizzle was not umbrella worthy. She hoped the weather would make Gust more willing to accept her peace offering if said gift was a hot meal. Rosie made sure to have a small breakfast in between cooking. When she was happy with the dishes, she packed everything into square containers. She covered them with a cloth so it was easier to move them and whilst she did so she slipped the note between the folds of the one meant for Gust. With hands full of peacemaking gifts, she left for A&G construction, closing the door behind her with a nimble foot

She made it to A&G just after 12, however, she noted with mild disdain, she couldn't open the door with her hands as full as they currently were. Had the floor been dry, she could have very easily put one of the meals on the floor for only a moment. Closing doors? Easy. Opening doors? Not in her skill set.

She considered kicking the door to get their attention, but figured that wouldn't be appreciated by Albert and definitely not Gust, so she settled with the only course of action.

"Albert! Please be a sweetheart and open the door!" she demanded. The soft drizzle was starting to get heavier.

After only a few seconds the door opened to reveal a very puzzled Albert looking out. But as soon as he realized it was her, he immediately stepped aside so she could enter the building.

"You know, you are going to catch a cold." The tone of his voice was concerned. Still focused on her friend, Rose didn't notice Gust sparing her an equally concerned but annoyed glance.

"I know, I know. I just wanted to deliver something to you guys, and I didn't need an umbrella when I left. " she dismissed her friend's worries. "This one is for you", she placed the first little package into his hands whilst biting her tongue to stop herself from adding a "handsome" since starting banter and startling Gust was what got her here in the first place, "and this," she turned to walk the small distance to the blonde's workplace, "is for you."

Gust's green eyes looked at her with confusion while she held the cloth-wrapped package in front of him. He hesitantly took the warm package from her hands, with a small "Thank you". Rosie's face lit up in a way that made Gust blush. Before the boys had a chance to start unfolding the cloth, she moved towards the door. She didn't want to be there when Gust read the note she'd stashed in his meal. It would be awkward to have to explain why she'd written a note instead of just saying it straight to him when the truth was that he made her so socially anxious.

"See you later guys", she added before opening the door.

"You won't stay?" Albert inquired, with a hint of sadness in his voice.

"I still have things to do, but I promise I'll rest on the weekend and come and see you then," she answered him with a soft smile.

Without giving him a chance to respond, she headed out, barely hearing the "wait" leaving Albert's lips.

He clicked his tongue, staring at the now closed door. "That girl…"

He returned his attention to his friend the moment he heard him fidgeting with the fabric the box was wrapped in. Clearly the curiosity had gotten the best of him. Still, Gust was staring at something on top of it and then lifted a white card, setting it aside. The sight of the white card piqued Albert's interest. He opened his own to see if he also had a note from the builder, but was disappointed to see that it was just fabric. It didn't stop him from opening the lid. The view alone made his mouth water, and the scent caused his stomach to rumble despite it being so early and the short time it had been since he'd eaten his breakfast. Albert looked back to Gust who was staring at the contents of his container. Mischief rose to Albert's grin, he picked up the spoon that Rosie had so kindly provided for his meal and approached his best friend with the mock intention of stealing from him, just to test the waters.

"You know, if you don't want it, I can have it," he said with a wicked grin, but just before his spoon could touch the fish, Gust snatched the container out of his reach.

"You have yours!" he scowled.

"Hmmm but it's unfair, you wouldn't be able to appreciate the nice cooking of a beautiful lady like Rosie!"

"If _I_ decide it's bad, _then_ you can have it" he stated. Albert ceased in pretending to snatch the container from Gust's grasp and stared at him instead.

"Deal." Albert crossed his arms and shrugged. He returned to his desk and took a spoonful of his spicy fish soup, and when it reached his mouth, he made a rather lewd sound.

Hesitantly, but with his curiosity piqued, Gust grabbed the fork and loaded it up with both fish and meat.

_It can't be that good, can it?_ he thought.

Skeptically, he put the fork to his mouth. Both the fish and the meat almost melted on his tongue, and he couldn't stop the sudden hunger that he felt. Yes, it was his favorite dish, and yet it was executed perfectly; not something someone would have done without the proper care. He had to stop himself from making an appreciative sound since he could feel the eyes of his best friend still glued to him. He made the effort to chew slowly so that his friend wouldn't be able to read his facial expression.

"So?" Albert inquired with a wide grin in his face.

"It's…"

_Perfect, flawless, simply and utterly delicious…._

"...ok" he stated stubbornly.

Albert huffed at him. "You are impossible."

* * *

Things were not going as fast as she wanted that day. With the bath she took and the constant drizzle, the cuts on her hands had only softened, and she'd managed to reopen the nasty gash she'd made on her right palm when she'd tried to chop down a tree earlier in the week. She cursed at the sharp pain and she wrapped her hand precariously with a bandage. Rosie had no time to waste on injuries, she had to finish the commissions, at least the ones that she had to deliver the next day, so she stayed at her work table even under the heaviest of rain. She didn't have an umbrella, and even if she had one, it would make it harder for her to work, so she stayed soaked.

She didn't start shivering until it got windy. Her sight was also starting to get a bit blurry, but she told herself it was because there was water dripping from her eyelashes. After a while, her hands started shaking and they were wet and sore. She could barely even tie the knot of the amulet she was trying to craft.

And then she passed out on the grass.

* * *

Gust huffed a sigh when he noticed he wouldn't be able to paint that afternoon. Given the heaviness of the rain, he figured it would be best if he went home and walked a little with Ginger instead. He gazed at the now empty containers. Since he was heading home, it occurred to him that bringing them back to Rosie was the least he could do after she went to the trouble of bringing them food. The note that accompanied the dish was secretly and dearly guarded in his pocket, even if it almost made him laugh when he read the elegantly traced words.

"Sorry for sneaking up on you and being loud while you were working," it said.

It was funny, really, how Rose had thought he was mad at her for either of those things. Of course, he had been a little bit mad when both she and his sister had woken him up that night, but the feeling hadn't lingered for more than a few minutes. And the fact that she thought he was angry at the noise in the office made him a little uneasy… he didn't want to think about the real reasons that accompanied his anger - he figured he would always be in denial about it.

_But in denial of what?_ he thought.

He didn't want to think about it but he knew for a fact that he was used to his best friend being loud and chatty. And the fact that she made it very clear to him that she cared enough and wanted to be on good terms with him made his stomach uneasy. He looked at the clock and started gathering his things, along with his blue umbrella and the empty containers. He said goodbye to Albert, whose nose was deep in paperwork and heard him mutter back a "take care" and left.

Gust had only just crossed the small distance between his office and the city entrance when he saw a small figure curled up in the grass in the distance near Rose's home. As he got nearer, he noticed that it was, in fact, the builder herself. He approached cautiously, thinking that surely she must have sleep problems considering she was napping even in this weather, but his heart skipped a beat when he noticed her furrowed brows and the panting that left her lips. Gust dropped everything and bent down to lift her, her skin was burning against him - even through both their clothes he could feel the heat. He quickly took her inside and he lowered her unconscious body softly onto the couch. She needed medicine, a warm bath and a change of clothes, but he couldn't do that. His best bet was to seek medical help from the city's doctor.

He ran as quickly as he could to Dr. Xu's, and when the good doctor opened the door, he found an out of breath and soaked Gust. Dr. Xu immediately thought the absolute worst.

"Is Ginger alright?" he asked worriedly.

"What?" Gust asked, and then realized what the doctor meant. "Yes, but I found Rose outside her home with a terrible fever."

Xu's frown didn't relax, instead, he called out to Phyllis.

* * *

Gust decided he would stay until he was sure that she was fine. He said to himself he was doing it so his sister wouldn't worry and ignored the little voice in his head that told him that was a lie.

Phyllis took care of the warm bath, figuring that Rose would probably be more comfortable knowing that while in her unconscious state it was another woman that had taken care of her. Now she was resting on her bed warm and dry. Xu had given her medicine and was currently stitching the gash she had on her right palm while Phyllis replaced the cold towel on her forehead. Meanwhile, Gust was sitting on the dry side of the couch, draped in a towel. His umbrella rested on the side of a chair and the containers were on the table. He absently looked at the flames dancing on her chimney, slowly dozing off, until a familiar warm hand landed on his shoulder.

"She is lucky to have a friend like you, or her fever would have been worse" Dr. Xu murmured with a soft smile. "Phyllis said she was hallucinating from the fever before she passed out again".

A friend. He found the term didn't bother him. But, how do you become a friend to someone you've been actively avoiding?

And then he found the answer to the question that had been nagging him all day.

He _cared._

He cared for this stupid builder and was mad that she worked under the heavy rain until she passed out. He cared enough to worry.

_I like her because she's been a good friend to Ginger_ , he thought. Not a lie, but a half-truth that he was willing to accept.

And then he realized that he was mad because he was jealous that his most important people were leaving him behind in their new small circle of friends. It was stupid, really, that he was jealous, since he was the one who pushed people out of his life. And he found it was hard to dislike Rose when Ginger was happier than she was before.

He nodded to the good doctor. Xu then handed him a small bottle of green paste.

"Make sure she puts this on her hand." He explained to Gust, "I don't want the stitches to get infected. Please tell me if something else happens."

And, before Gust finished comprehending what that implied, they left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank Dizzy_Lizzy again for helping me with this, it means a lot that you are taking hours of your time to make sure I don't screw up <3  
> I also want to thank everyone who has made it to Chapter 3 for sticking with me. I know we are just in the first chapters but it means a lot you passed from chapter 1! If you are liking this please let me know! (If you are not liking this, please let me know too)  
> Please Stay safe!


	4. To care and be cared for

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rose finds a strange package and things don't go as expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking of posting a new chapter every tuesday, but since I have a very busy day tomorrow, here is it!  
> This chapter would not have come to light without the help of Dizzy_Lyzzy. If you haven't already, please go and read her beautiful fic too! I still think there are not enough Gust/Builder stories and hers is amazing.

Gust stared at the door for more than a few minutes. When he returned to reality, he took a moment to assess his current situation.

He was alone in the house of a woman whom he had been adamant of ignoring, and who he cared about. His family didn’t know where he was. Xu had left before he had the chance to say anything.

Gust was oh-so utterly screwed.

He considered the possibility of going home just to let them know where he was, but if something happened when Rosemary was alone, both Ginger and Albert would kill him. On the other hand, Ginger _would_ worry if he didn’t return home.

A soft thud behind him got his attention.

When he shifted on the couch, he could see the door was left open and that Rose had turned to him, her eyes still closed. The wet towel had fallen to the floor. He sighed and left his own towel on the couch and approached her. He took the damp cloth between his fingers, noticing it was warm. Xu had left a bowl of cold water beside the bed, so he dumped the cloth into it. While it cooled, he instinctively reached out for her cheek with the back of his hand, with the sole purpose of checking if she still had fever (which she had, though it was now fading and the frown was gone) but his touch had lingered on her soft skin, and Rose stirred a little before opening her eyes.

Gust _froze_ when her blue eyes focused on him., her expression unreadable, even as her lips mustered his name in a question. He withdrew his hand as if her skin burned. He had his eyes glued to hers, and swallowed in an attempt to keep his cool facade. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

“You passed out near your worktable.” he explained with a voice he hoped was confident enough. Gust was secretly grateful that the only light that reached the room was the one from the old fireplace. How many times had this woman made him blush? He didn’t dare think of the _why_ part of that question.

Rose nodded weakly, as if it was something she had expected to happen. The sight of it caused Gust to relive the anger of her lack of self-preservation. 

“What the hell were you thinking?” he almost hissed.

“I’m fine,” she tried to shrug it off, but her voice was so weak that, if they weren’t alone, he wouldn't have heard. “It’s just a cold.” Her eyes left his, and instead she stared at the small table beside her.

“Idiot,” he whispered, but it was as if she didn’t care. “there are people who care about you”, and _this_ was what gained her attention, her eyes widened, and her gaze rested again on him. This time though, he wasn’t looking at her, instead, he squeezed the towel and put it again on her forehead, as if proving his point. “Collapsing from fever under the rain is not _just a cold._ ” he added.

Rose was so tired she didn’t have the energy to argue. That didn’t mean she didn’t want to, but her throat was sore and her eyelids started to get heavy. That didn’t go unnoticed to Gust.

“Go back to sleep.” he said, his voice was still harsh, but there was the tiniest note of softness to it.

She closed her eyes and started drifting back to sleep. She thought it may have to be with the medicine Xu had given her before.

“Gust?”, she mumbled.

“Yes?”

“Thanks.” she said softly before falling back to sleep.

* * *

Gust was really tired when he arrived at work. Unlike the day before, the sun was shining bright and the air was warm. He had returned home at four in the morning, when Rose’s fever had faded out completely. He had slept a few hours on her couch and the rest in his own bed, yet, his body was sore nonetheless. He was about to explain to Ginger why he didn't return home the previous night, but instead she asked about Rose’s health. Apparently, Xu had encountered Ginger on the way back to his clinic, so she and Gale were aware of the situation. Gale had to dissuade Ginger from going there herself, telling her there was no use if both of them got sick. 

Albert tried to figure out why on earth his friend was so tired, but Gust refused to tell him, knowing too well he wouldn't hear the end of his questioning and teasing if he did. Eventually, he gave up after Gust told him they needed to send the project to Atara that same afternoon. They worked in silence for a few hours, and when the project was finally done, Albert left the office to get the documents to the harbor.

“Please be nice to the clients while I’m gone.” the dark-haired man said before he left.

Gust was sketching another project for at least an hour after the man had left. Albert was really taking his time, but Gust shrugged it off telling himself that he might have found someone to flirt with on the way. He sighed and continued sketching, the sound of the pencil against the paper and QQ’s soft snores as his only company.

That was, until the door opened. 

“You sure took your time,” Gust said without looking up. 

“I’m sorry to bother you.” a feminine voice said. Gust shifted on his chair to look at her, knowing who she was before his eyes reached her.

“I thought Albert was back.” he explained. “What is it?” he added.

“I found this near the gate, is it yours?” she inquired.

He turned his gaze downwards to her hands. The bandages were tinted with a green color, as if she had been pulling weeds (that was likely) and he frowned. His attention was immediately caught by the package she had in her hands

“This is...my design draft. Albert was taking it to the harbor to send it off to Atara...did he drop it on the way?”

“Do you want me to go and give it to him?” Rose inquired.

Gust didn’t want Rose to be running around as though she hadn’t been found passed out on the ground just the day before, but he was busy and that package had to be sent soon or the ship would depart and they would have to wait for the one tomorrow.

“Thanks.” he hesitantly accepted, though a smile soon formed on his lips. “He’s probably scratching his head trying to figure out where it went.” Rosie laughed at that, the sound of it caused the flutter to return to his chest.

“Poor Albert.” she added when she finished laughing. “It's better if I go now then, before he does something stupid.” It was Gust’s turn to laugh. 

* * *

Rose found him near the harbor. He was, in fact, very stressed and scratching his head nervously. She had to resist the laugh that bubbled to her lips, instead, she approached him with a wide smile and the package behind her back.

“Are you looking for something, handsome?” she teased.

“Rosie!” he jumped. “Thank God, you have to help me!”

“To find this?” She revealed the package and showed it to him.

“Oh boy! My package!” Albert was happier than she had ever seen him, he then lifted her up into a hug and kissed her cheek before he took the package. “How did you find it? I was looking everywhere for it! If I'd lost this...Gust probably wouldn’t talk to me for a season!”

“You did lose it, you know.” She huffed at Albert. “Is it that important though?”

“You have _no_ idea. This is Gust’s design proposal for the new Commerce Guild HQ building in Atara for Victor Azula, the head of the Guild. But, to be honest, I don't think we're going to get this project. The Vincent Design Institute is in Atara, so there's gonna be a lot of competition.”

“That sounds impressive.”

_No wonder why Gust got mad when I made so much noise,_ she thought.

“Gust is very impressive. Still, some folks just can't understand his designs, especially those old fools in the Design Institute.” Albert looked towards the ship that was currently being loaded with boxes. “Damn. I have to go!” he ruffled her hair and started running “Thanks again!” he shouted. 

She decided to rest a little under the shadow of a tree and eat while she watched the ocean waves hitting the sand. After all, there weren’t many things she could do in the state her hands were in (she’d tried chopping a small tree earlier in the day, only to drop her axe at the sharp pain, having to resign herself to removing the weeds from her plants to pass the time). She figured she could do things as long as she didn’t put too much pressure on her right palm. Her fingers were okay, though. That was why she’d managed to finish the amulet commission the day before. She got up and headed for the river with the intention of spending the rest of the day fishing on the easiest spot. If she couldn’t work on commissions, then she could at least try to sell fish the next day.

It was half past four when she spotted Gust in the distance at his preferred painting spot. She knew that, on a normal day, he would have been painting for hours by now, but considering how busy they were the last few days, it made sense that he was only just adjusting his easel. He looked at ease while setting his tools and his bucket of water, yet he had a focused look. Rose didn't notice her feet pulling her towards him until she was standing a few meters at his side, her fishing rod clasped on her left hand.

But Gust did notice her.

“What is it?” he inquired with a soft voice.

Rose felt herself blushing, since she’d stopped by instinct, drawn purely by her curiosity. The nervous tremble of her heart reminded her of how he had skyrocketed her pulse when he’d laughed earlier in the day and she’d had to nervously excuse herself out of the office. Or when she realized he was the one that had dragged her to her home, when she had him close enough to her bed to smell his fragrance.

“I, uh…” she fiddled with the fishing rod, trying desperately to find the words in her head, “I-I gave Albert the package.” Rose muttered, but she could see a frown forming on his face.

“My thanks” he stated. His short answer and his frown made her more nervous than she already was.

“He was really worried y-you know,” she tried to laugh it off, but Gust was now walking towards her, which was by no means helping to stop her stuttering. Her fiddling was worsening, and she nervously put a strand of her hair behind her ear with her free hand. She noticed his gaze wasn’t on her face and she couldn’t pinpoint what he was staring at. “H-he also said that you were impressive but that the old guys from Atara wouldn’t see that”, she blurted out.

“That guy’s got a big mouth”, he stated. Rose’s back was against a tree, having been unconsciously walking backwards, and her fishing rod slipped to the grass. “This,” Gust took her hands delicately and raised them to himself, but now he looked right at her eyes, “has been bothering me.”

She stared at him blankly when he carefully unfolded the bandage on her right hand.

“At least this is clean.” he sighed and sounded somewhat relieved, but his frown was still there. 

He then proceeded to unfold her other hand and then walked away to search for something in his satchel. Rose followed him hesitantly, and then arched her body to try and see what he was looking for. Gust took out a small, transparent bottle filled with green paste, took off the cap, and then sat on the grass, patting the place in front of him.

“Sit”, he demanded.

Rose felt the order was like one given to a dog, but being as ashamed and confused as she was, she said nothing. Instead, she obeyed, although hesitantly. Gust took a small portion of the green balm and, reaching for her hand, delicately spread it onto the stitched skin, eventually covering her whole hand including her fingers with it. She blushed again when he did the same with the other hand and replaced her bandages with clean ones. They sat in a comfortable silence while he worked, and of course, curiosity got the best of her.

“Why?” she muttered. He spared her a short glance before continuing.

“You have people who care about you” he simply stated.

“Then,” she took a shaky breath, “why do _you_ care?”

He stopped what he was doing and took his own shaky breath. He looked like he was about to deny it and then thought otherwise. “I’ve come to appreciate you as a friend.” he said carefully.

“So we are friends?” Rosie asked without venom or sarcasm, it was a pure, genuine question, which held a hint of hope.

“If you wish to be.” he focused again on the bandage, as if the answer didn’t matter to him.

But, in the short time she knew Gust, she’d learned how to differentiate his genuine care under his harsh manners. She wouldn’t have been able to notice that he cared about her if it wasn’t for the way he’d taken care of her the day before. She often interpreted all their other interactions as him feeling a kind of hate towards her. Still, he looked angry.

“Then, why do you frown when you’re with me?” She asked, making him huff at her.

“You make me angry” he finished with both bandages and then looked at her.

“How’s that?” 

“You are a reckless workaholic who doesn’t take care of herself”

“It's nothing.”

“Stop saying it's nothing!” Gust snapped. “May I remind you I found you passed out in the rain with a high fever?” he demanded.

“I’ve already thanked you for it! Why don’t you just drop it?”

“Because I care!” he barked, and Rose’s chest tightened seeing him so raw. “I care, and I can’t fathom why you don’t see it’s _not_ nothing.”

“Because I’ve had it worse! And, believe it or not, I’m stronger than I look!” she yelled with a broken voice. She ran a hand through her hair and took a shaky breath to try to regain herself. “You don’t know, Gust, because you’ve been born into a bubble of privilege. You don’t know what it’s like living with five other people that kindly took you into their home even when the resources were slim and expensive. You don’t get medicine unless you’re dying.” by now, her voice was quavering. “There are worse things than a cold and a little cut.”

“That’s it? You’re just not going to take care of yourself unless you’re dying?” Gust was exasperated, but at least he wasn’t yelling. “It’s not going to work like that every time. Yes, maybe I don’t know what it’s like, I’ll give you that. But you are in a better place now, you can afford to take care of yourself, and even if you don’t, you have people who can afford to take care of you. An untreated cold will get worse in the rain. I don’t want to wake up one day just to find out you died for being so reckless.” He sighed heavily and put his fingers to his temples, his eyes closed. “I don’t want to lose anyone else.”

And then, it dawned on her. Gust had lost her mother and his sister was, and possibly could always be, sick. Gust was devoted to his family and friends, and since he told her he considered her a friend, she could see how being the way she was bothered him. After a few moments of silence, he raised his head to look at her.

“So can you _please_ take care?” He added softly.

“I can try”, she mumbled. Rose still thought it wasn’t that bad, but she figured she could try to take care just a little bit more, if just for the sake of the situation.

“That’s all I’m asking for.”


	5. Run QQ, run!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Gust learns a little bit more about her past.  
> He doesn't like it.

Rose was staring absently at her hands. She was still in bed even after she’d turned off the alarm only a few minutes ago. It was very unlike her given she would normally be out of bed and in the shower by now, preparing herself for the day. But with her hands the way they were, the amount of work she could do dropped drastically. She unwrapped the bindings from her hands and tried to avert her thoughts away from the image of Gust carefully bandaging them himself the day before. She figured she still had to thank him for bringing her home the first time, but he’d yet to acknowledge the fact he was the one who did it; he seemed adamant he wasn’t going to do it.

Stupid, kind Gust. 

He brought out both the best and the worst in her, the proof being the conversation they’d had the day before.  They’d both been so raw at  one point, and it had left her emotionally drained. She hadn’t given much thought to her feelings about running from Barnarock to Portia, but Gust had given her mind a little push. She had agreed on taking care of herself a bit more, but she still wanted to help the people in Portia as best as she could, specially knowing that stupid Higgins often denied his help when money was an issue. And how could she say no? She was nothing but grateful at the warm welcome, and it was the first place she didn’t mind calling home.

Still, hearing Gust saying he _cared_ had lit a warm feeling in her chest, the same one she was trying to ignore, albeit with no avail. She’d been infatuated the first time she’d looked into his eyes that first night they’d met (even if he had given her the cold shoulder that night), but _this_ was starting to be more than a momentary infatuation. She was starting to develop a crush on her friend’s brother.

_ Great _ , she thought,  closing her eyes and covering her face with her now bandage-free hands as soon as realization hit her.

Rose groaned and rolled onto her back. Eventually, her hands slipped from her face, and she reluctantly got out of bed.  Her feet dragged on the floor on the way to her shower and, when she finally let the steamy water run, she noticed her hands. It didn’t hurt as much as the day before ; the small cuts  were beginning to heal, and the stitches were already helping to close the gash on her palm. She wasn’t ready to go out and chop trees like a madman but whatever Xu’s green paste was, it was doing wonders for her.

She stayed under the steaming water longer than usual, allowing herself the time she didn’t know she had craved for so long .  Rose hadn’t taken into account how non-stop she’d been since arriving at her father’s workshop and the realisation of it set a deep tiredness into her muscles.

When she finally got out and dried herself, she dressed with a pink floral dress, short boots, and grabbed a sun hat. She figured she  would go and see if there were commissions she could actually do without hurting herself in the process.  She had her hand on the handle, about to open the door when a sound came to her from outside her door. Curious, she swung her door open to her garden and found Gust and QQ right at her gate .

“QQ... hey!” he said, uselessly trying to move the chubby body of his pink friend. Rose got closer to them and looked at the lying form of her favorite pig, worry started to flood her senses.

“What’s going on? What’s happened to QQ?” she inquired.

Gust gave her a quick glance to acknowledge her presence,  he looked back to QQ for only a moment before meeting her eyes once more. His mouth opened to say something but it died on his lips. Luckily for him, she didn’t notice.  He watched as she kneeled beside QQ and started scratching his belly, but the  little pig only remained asleep.

“What’s up buddy?” she asked softly. Gust took that time to compose himself.

“This stupid pig only knows how to sleep and eat, it’s getting outrageously fat.” Gust crossed his arms without taking his eyes off of him, but he ended up looking back at her when she opted to hug QQ, forcing Gust to meet her disapproving gaze.

“Don’t call him stupid.” she pouted, her chin resting on QQ’s sleepy head. Gust sighed, and Rose could have sworn there was a soft shade of pink under his freckles.

“That’s not the point. I wasn’t here because of QQ, I forgot to give you this yesterday”, he searched for something on his satchel and then extended his hands to her, so she had no option but to leave QQ sleeping on the ground so she could take the two small tubes and bandages he was offering her.

She was out of words. She knew Gust was kind but she didn’t expect to receive two tubes full of medicine. It was too much for her, and at the same time, she half hoped he continued tending her wounds, if just to feel his hands on hers.

_ Focus, Rose _ , she thought.

“I… How… How much...?” she stammered.

To her surprise, he softly flicked her nose with his index. She looked at his green eyes and could feel the heat rise to her face. For the brief moment the touch lasted, she could smell an oily scent.

Oh yes, being aware of her feelings was making the whole thing  _ worse.  _

“Don’t.” he stated.

She averted her gaze  down to the items in her hands purely to avoid looking at him , she added softly, “Thank you.”

“If you don’t take care of yourself, Ginger won’t let you enter our home” he remarked.

That got her attention entirely, “That’s not fair!” she whined.

“You got her worried too, you know.” Gust smirked. He turned  and began the  walk to his office only to notice QQ was still immovable. Rose couldn’t hold back a snort, and when Gust looked at her in disbelief, his lips slightly parted, she couldn’t suppress a full laugh.

“Stop laughing!” he demanded, but the way he was blushing and with how he was looking at her, she couldn’t.

“I’m sorry!” she tried to muffle her laugh under her hand until she had calmed down. Gust was glaring at her, arms crossed and still pink. She supposed she was being rude, considering what he had done for her, so she made the effort to be more serious about it. “But you know, you can leave him with me for a while. And who knows, maybe I can give him a walk or something.”

Gust snorted. “Fine. Good luck with that.”

* * *

“... are you coming?”

Gust jumped when Albert’s hand landed on his shoulder. His brain barely registered the last words of what his friend said.

“What?” he inquired.

Gust had passed the last few hours absently sketching the new project. He had wondered a few times if maybe leaving QQ under the care of Rose might have been too much. He was starting to worry for both of them, it was making him work slower.

“I said,” he slowly added, “it’s time for lunch. Are you coming?” the man repeated. Gust could see Albert was trying to suppress a smile, the corners of his mouth giving him away.

He sighed and looked at his table. He wasn’t that far behind on his project, but he didn’t want to let the work pile up. Gust figured it would take him one hour more at most, and maybe he could catch up with Ginger before two o'clock. Besides, QQ was still  with Rose .

“I’ll finish this first. Go ahead” he answered after a few moments. Albert gave his shoulder a soft squeeze before leaving.

He continued his work on silence. It was weird in a unique way, without the sound of QQ’s soft snores as his company.  Gust wondered if it would be the same silence when QQ was gone, he quickly shook the thought immediately - it was the reason why he was against his master giving him the little pig.  Gust didn’t need to be attached because he knew he’d have to say goodbye at some point. It was too late now, he adored that pig in his own way.

Which didn’t help his uneasiness. 

Gust tried not to rush his work, he knew that if he did he would hate it later, or at least, he would have to redo some parts of it.

It was almost half past one when the door finally opened. He stopped working so he could face the door, just in time to see the poor pig as he went straight to his bed, exhausted. Gust looked at the builder with his lips parted, and then they turned to a lopsided grin.

“I.. I can't believe you actually came up with a solution.” Rose was giving him her biggest smile, as she did when she proved him wrong.

“You didn't think all I knew was how to build, right?” she stood just in front of him and crossed her arms.

Well, he couldn’t say he didn’t, not because he genuinely thought she couldn’t do other things, but because he realized he didn’t know a lot about her. He had seen her with a fishing rod but hadn't seen her actually fishing, and he knew she could chop trees and mine just because of her scars. She was a workaholic, and she worried way more for others than for herself.

“Maybe not.” he responded as nonchalantly as he could, a smile playing on his lips. That answer made her snort, and then she turned so she could kneel and pet softly QQ while he slept.

“How did you end up with a pig as a pet anyway?” she asked softly.

“QQ was a gift from my master, Vera. She thought I was too boring and raising a pet would help “expand my horizons”… I still get a feeling that this was just a prank to her.” he said absently as he watched them. He was pleased Rose had bandaged her hands now, although rather sloppily.

Then she looked at him, a kind smile on her lips.

“You seem to really respect your master.” 

“Master Vera is a superbly talented academic at the Vincent Design Institute.” Gust started talking  without thinking . It was terrifying for him how easy it was to speak openly with her, but he continued anyway. “The deconstructive architecture design she champions is never rigid, she's always boldly using space and shapes in imaginative ways. I admire her very much, but I want to surpass her, and become a master in my own right one day” although he smiled at her, he wondered briefly if he wasn’t, in fact, boring her. He was scared, because he caught himself gesturing while talking about his master, something that just happened when he got emotional.

“Did you become involved in architectural design because of her?” Gust couldn’t stop the blush that came to his face when he noticed she had paid attention. He knew she was being sincere in her words purely because he knew how kind of a woman she was - enough to make him mad sometimes . But again, his brain was in override, so he knew he would answer whatever she asked, although hesitantly. He shook his head.

“Not exactly. I once read an ancient book called 'People and Structures of the Times'. Basically, it states that people can't escape the natural laws of life and death, but buildings can live long into history. My dream is to design and build great buildings for future generations to remember.” Rose stared at him for a moment, and he got nervous. The only one who knew about his dream was Albert, it was something he didn’t speak easily about. But his worries melted when her blue eyes lit up.

“I hope I get to see that one day” she said with the most beautiful smile Gust had seen. And he would have blushed, but felt his body clench a little. He felt as if she was going to disappear.

“Are you going to leave?” he inquired, the question came out as a prayer, and he noticed they had been talking softly, not enough to be a whisper but not as they used to. If Rose had noticed the change, she didn't seem to care. Instead, she sighed heavily,  closed her eyes, and  sank to the floor, her back leaning against Albert’s desk .

“Portia is the only place I’ve ever felt home. But what if I am like my father and I can’t stay in one place for long? What if I wake up one day and suddenly I want to leave everyone behind, if the world is as wonderful as dad says and I become like him?” she asked weakly, her voice breaking with each question.

Gust was just plain infuriated. From the talk they  had had  the other day, he could catch small but important facts about his friend, but  _ this  _ just made it worse. He had restrained the other day from asking more than  she’d let him know (he himself didn’t like it when people got nosy about his mother), but from the look of it,  she’d had to live without her parents from a very young age, and even worse, Maurice had left her on  _ purpose. _ He at least had his Pa, and he did the best he could for both of them. 

Still, hadn’t Gust left Ginger? Did he have a right to judge Maurice when he had nearly done the same to his own family? But he was here now, it had to be worth something. And Ginger wasn’t entirely alone, she had uncle Russo and Pa, he liked to think that if she had been alone he wouldn’t have left… right?

He figured he must have taken too long, because while she was still on the floor, she had her palms over her eyes and didn’t wait longer for him to answer.

“I'm sorry, it's just… it’s easy to talk with you. You don’t...”

But he didn’t let her finish. He didn’t  even think about it, he just wrapped her in his arms and brought her to his chest. It took a few seconds, but she hesitantly wrapped her arms around him. Gust  realised Rose was a very emotional person, as himself, but while he hid under that fake mask so he could drive people away, she was entirely raw, which was probably why she couldn't say no to helping others even when it could get her in trouble. She made it difficult for him to raise a wall by being so open herself. Gust didn’t want her to hide, though.

“I can listen.” he simply whispered. 

“It's just… I don't get it. Everything here makes me want to stay,” she softly sobbed into his chest.

“Then stay. Stop it with the ‘what if’s’, you are not your dad.” Gust was still speaking softly, as if he was trying not to startle her, and didn’t notice when he started stroking her hair. She sobbed again.

“I’m gonna get you wet”, she mumbled.

“It’s ok.”


	6. The cave of Amber Island

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just when Gust thought things couldn't get worse, they got worse.

“Ginger!” Rose chimed when  she and Gust entered Gale’s house. Her friend was making shell necklaces on the couch, clearly waiting for her brother to arrive, but as soon as she saw Rose enter, she launched herself at her, effectively knocking the air out of her lungs. She pulled back after a few seconds, pouting and frowning.

“Don’t  _ ever _ do that again!” she scolded. “If you are not feeling well go  to Xu! You got me  worried sick , dummy!”

Rose was expecting something like this, since she already knew Ginger had been worried too, and she felt a bit guilty that she hadn’t visited Ginger since the whole passing out incident, but she was still trying to come to terms with the whole “your friends care” situation. And she didn’t want them to worry again so she agreed to take care or to at least try.

“I’m sorry?” she half asked. 

“Are you asking me?” Ginger crossed her arms and frowned.

“I’m sorry I worried you” and that was genuine. Ginger finally gave in and hugged her again.

“I missed you!”

“I missed you too. I’m sorry I didn’t come earlier.” she squeezed her friend. 

Ginger looked over her friend’s shoulder and noticed her brother’s pet pig QQ slowly walking over to his bed.

“What happened to poor QQ?” she inquired, still hugging her friend. This time, it was Gust who answered.

“Exercise.” he said with a small smile, the comment making Ginger giggle.

“Are you going to eat with us?” Ginger pulled apart but held her hands.

“I don’t want to bother you.” she said sheepishly.

“I already told you you don’t.” Gust answered tiredly. He gave Ginger a quick kiss on her head and then walked further into the house, as Gale and Russo entered the room, clearly having heard the commotion. 

“Rosie!” Gale beamed  as Ginger  dragged the small builder to the table.

“Gale! I’m sorry to bother.” she quickly apologized, even though both his friends told her she wasn't a nuisance, she had arrived at their house without warning  and it made her self conscious .

“Nonsense, dear. You are always welcome to this home.” he shrugged it off while they took their seats on the table.

“Every friend of Miss Ginger is always welcome.” Russo added.

It wasn’t long before Russo had served the various dishes, both sweet and  savoury . Rose could feel her stomach grumble and her mouth water just by the smell. The afternoon passed quietly between the sound of the clutery and lighthearted conversation. It wasn’t until they were eating desserts when said conversation started to get serious.

“Is everything ok at home?” Gale asked.

“Yes, I think so,” Rose answered, a bit confused.

“I'm glad. We’ve been receiving complaints about things disappearing. Arlo doesn't think it's Huss and Tuss though, the things that are being stolen are mostly random trinkets. Even Gust’s lamp has disappeared.” he stated whilst taking a bite of the apple pie on his plate.

“Now that you mention it, I do remember hearing Martha  complaining about a missing pot when I was walking with QQ.” she frowned.

“But no one’s been hurt, right?” Ginger asked.

“It seems harmless, but just take care, dear,” Gale added, looking at Rose. “Anyway, enough about the thief, I was thinking, that the cave on Amber Island could be a great tourist attraction. Arlo says we would need a removable battery to fix the generator, so I was wondering if you wanted to work on it?” The fast glare that Gust gave his dad didn’t go unnoticed by the builder, “Of course I don’t mean it to get finished right away, I’m aware that you'll be off work for a few days, but I was hoping you could  take care of it? I really don’t want to deal with Higgins.” Ginger giggled at her dad’s muttered words .

“I… yes, of course,” Rose stammered. “I mean, is it really ok if I can't work on it right away?”

“Of course it is. I still have to finish some of the details with the Hulu brothers so there is no rush.”

After accepting the commission and being reassured (again) that yes indeed, it was fine if she took her time, she got up to go home. Ginger of course squeezed her friend  once more , and Rose promised to visit more often. She was at the door when Gust approached her with his painting tools  in hand.

“I’ll walk you home,” and before she could tell him it wasn't necessary, he added, “it's on the way to the lake anyway.” Rose wondered if she imagined a faint shade of pink under his freckles. She figured it would have been weird if she had been on her way home and they happened to walk along the same path  after  having said goodbye. Instead, they walked the short path between their homes in a comfortable silence, both of them enjoying the cold breeze and each other’s company.  They stopped just outside her gate .

“Here, I forgot to give you this earlier.” Gust took one of her hands and dropped five coins of 100 gols on it.

“What is this for?” She looked at him as soon as she noticed what it was in her hand.

“Walking QQ, of course.” he answered nonchalantly.

“But-”

“Take it as a personal commission” he interrupted and then spun on his heels and started walking before  she had the opportunity to give the money back, he waved her a goodbye with a lopsided smile.

* * *

The following days went as smoothly as  possible . Rose wanted to be able to work as soon as she could, so she applied the medicine dutifully. Between the insistence of Gust to pay her for walking QQ daily and the money she could gather from fishing and selling, she started to accumulate gols. Still, she felt bad knowing Higgins was probably ditching the commissions he didn't want to do, so she went every morning to the Commerce Guild to accept commissions she was sure she could do without getting worse. 

She could finally catch up with Albert on the weekend in The Round Table, who  also scolded her as soon as he got the full story… or at least most of it, since she knew he would tease both she and Gust if he knew he had spent the night on her house, even if nothing had happened.

In the week that followed, Xu finally took off the stitches of her hand, pleased with how the wounds were healing, but asked her to rest at least a week more from heavy work. She had to settle to quarry the small rocks around the city, so she could at least smelt a little bit of ore through the week. 

Rose was slowly but surely making progress on the construction of the battery, in fact, she’d been so invested in her work that she hadn’t even noticed when Gust and Albert left for a business trip to Walnut Groove. It was Sunday morning when she finished Gale’s commission, the same day she had plans to join Albert, Gust, and Ginger for dinner at The Round Table. 

It was still very early in the day and decided, instead of waiting around and finding menial tasks to do, she might as well get a start on the installation. Grabbing her sword and the battery, she made her way to the cave. She assumed it wouldn’t take more than an hour. Even if she didn’t work quickly, she’d be able to get home for a bath before her dinner plans. 

On her way, she found Gust in his usual spot. He stopped painting as soon as he felt someone approaching and sighed as soon as he realised it was her. 

“Pa said to take your time.” he said, annoyed.

“I swear I did! This should have taken a day at most!” she whined. He looked disapprovingly at the bronze sword that was hanging on her back. “And this is a precaution, I don’t know what’s inside.” Seeing that he wasn't going to change the little builder's mind, he crossed his arms.

“Tcht. Don’t be late!” he said dryly, brow furrowed, “and take care.” he added softly.

Rose smiled warmly at him and continued her way to the cave. She was getting a little bit tired of hugging the battery. It wasn’t that heavy, it had to weigh at most 10kg, but having  walked such a long distance with that  strain on her arms was making it feel heavier. She dropped the battery softly on the ground and wielded her sword, she had to make sure there were no monsters on the way to the generator if she didn’t want to make that battery again.

Sure enough, it wasn't long before she had to fight snailobs, it wasn’t what she expected to encounter in a cave but there they were. Those were easy. What she wasn’t prepared for, was the giant, angry, blue snailob that cut her path. Rose was glad she had left the battery behind, otherwise, she couldn’t have dodged the first blow the creature  had given . For a moment she considered turning back and going for help , but the creature managed to block the only exit she had, so it gave her no choice but to fight.

It was a fierce and exhausting battle. By some miracle, she managed to win with just a few minor scratches. She continued her path to the generator and encountered three bandirats blocking her way.

“You’ve got to be kidding me”, she murmured to herself. She was a bit tired after having to fight a giant monster just at the entrance, but she had no option than to fight them as well. 

In the end, she managed to go and fetch the battery around six in the afternoon, still long before her dinner at eight o clock. She installed it in just a few minutes and pressed the switch of the generator just to verify it was now working.

Then the door closed.

* * *

It was getting really late and Rose hadn’t showed up yet.

They had been waiting for her for more than half an hour, and Ginger was already fidgeting with the frills of her dress. This was so unlike Rose.  Gust chewed his lower lip nervously while he and his sister waited for Albert to return from Rosie’s house to see if she was there.  He tried to calm down, it was possible that she was simply getting ready or was distracted by a last minute commision, and that they were making a fuss for nothing. Yet, the insides of his stomach were twitching with uneasiness. The last time he’d seen her was when she went to install that battery, and that had been hours ago.

Ten minutes later, Albert showed up.

“She isn’t home.” he mumbled when he got back to their table.

“She never arrives late, what if something happened to her?” Ginger asked, full of worry.

Gust couldn’t stand it anymore.

“Albert, please take care of Ginger.” he muttered. His friend gave him a puzzled expression. “I think I know where she is.” he added quickly before he got up and left. 

He rushed to the cave as fast as he could, and when he entered he found a path of dead creatures on his way. Gust was certain it was her doing, even if he himself hadn’t watched her fight. He ventured forward, following the blood path, and when he arrived at the metallic door, his heart dropped to the floor. He desperately tried to open it to no avail, and then climbed a little to see through it. The battery was there, and there was a faint light that illuminated rat corpses.

“Rose!” he called, but received no answer. “Damnit.” he groaned.

Gust ran as fast as he could to the civil corps HQ, banging  on the door desperately. He’d hoped he would run onto one of them on the way there but had  had no luck. Sam was resting that night from the patrols, so she opened the door, her hair messy, rubbing her eyes tiredly. Gust didn’t let her talk.

“It’s Rose.”

Honestly, that girl was going to be his death. He  thought back to  that day, not that long ago, when he’d run to Xu’s, with pretty much the same words. He briefly wondered if the entire “being friends with Rose” thing was always going to end up like this. The darker side of his mind told him one of those times could be the last time for the worst possible reasons. That time could be today. He shook the thought. 

After he quickly explained the situation to Sam, she hopped on Teddy and ordered Gust to stay while she took care of the situation. Which left Gust alone with his uneasiness and his thoughts. The young man was walking practically in circles before he decided to knock on Xu’s clinic too, just in case. 

The few minutes that Sam took felt like hours to him, but she came back with both her partners.

“That cave leads to the ruin outside the collapsed wasteland.” Arlo briefly explained.

The five of them ran to the small metallic door, all of them with the intention of going in to check if the small builder was there. When said door opened, it revealed a very bruised Rosie, limping and dragging a ridiculously big cloth bag. Everyone but Gust and Xu froze in place, and the blonde barely managed to catch Rose just before she passed out. He let out a shaky breath he didn’t know he was holding in.

“It’s okay,” he whispered, “ I’ve  got you.”


	7. Where Rose learns to knit a heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rose realizes there is no use in waiting, so she does the only thing she can think of.

Gust was relieved when Xu announced that there were no broken bones and that the deep cut that she had on her leg wasn’t as deep as he’d initially thought, but he felt conflicted knowing how close she had been to dying this time, and yet had still insisted on dragging the stolen goods all the way to the exit. Gust considered it just plain ridiculous, mostly because he couldn’t understand how she had dragged Presley’s stupid couch.

“The bruises look awful, but I’m glad there is no internal bleeding.” the good doctor added. The Civil Corps nodded and promised to come back the next morning so they could figure out what the hell had happened in those hours, but Gust couldn’t find it in him to leave. Sam promised to tell both Albert and Ginger they were at the clinic on her way out.

“You can see her now, but I don’t think she’ll stay awake any longer; she is exhausted.” Xu whispered, a small smile on his lips.

Gust got up from his seat and headed to the bed behind the hospital curtain, but he wasn’t prepared for what he saw under the clear light of the hospital. Rosie was covered in colorful bruises where the hospital gown and the blankets didn’t cover her skin that went from pale yellows to deep purples. Gust could feel his body clench under the sight, and his jaw tightened when he saw the deep purple bruise under her left eye. Deep down he knew she wasn’t at fault, he had seen with his own eyes the closed metallic door, and he figured out it must have closed as soon as the battery was replaced, so he wasn’t mad at her. He was mad at himself.

“I’m sorry I didn’t notice earlier.” he whispered, his voice full of worry. He wouldn’t say it out loud, but he had been truly scared. 

Rose softly shook her head from side to side and smiled warmly at him. “I would still be on the grass if it wasn’t because of you.” she whispered.

“How are you feeling?” he murmured, biting his lip. He wanted so badly to caress her cheek, wishing to make her bruises disappear, but felt he would be stepping over the line. Still, she had been so close to not making it alive that he felt he needed to be reassured she was fine.

“Everything hurts.”, she mumbled, already half asleep, “Out of everything, I wasn’t expecting a talking bandirat prince.” 

Gust thought he must have heard wrong because, before he could stop himself he softly asked “...a what?”

“A talking”, Rose yawned and closed her eyes, “bandirat prince”.

And then she was out like a light.

* * *

The next morning Rose had briefly told the Civil Corps what had happened inside the cave, and had given Ginger, Gust and Albert a more detailed, exhaustive explanation, in which Ginger looked both in awe and worried for her best friend. Albert looked impressed and Gust was still processing the whole “rats talk” thing, he was still looking at her as if she had hit her head.

She had, but it didn’t change the truth.

“I had _just_ returned to work!” Rose pouted when she finished telling her story, letting her body fall backwards and regretting it as soon as the upper side of her body hit Ginger’s bed. She tried to keep a straight face but the wince she had briefly shown didn't go unnoticed by either of them.

“Be careful!” Gust muttered angrily under his breath, he’d had a frown the entire time he’d listened.

“There’s nothing you can do about your work, though” Albert smiled apologetically. He was currently sitting at the end of the bed and Gust was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. Ginger was sitting at her side, stroking her hair.

Rose had been dragged to the Mayor’s house by the neverending insistence of Ginger. So now she had to stay at their home for a few days. She had tried to protest, but Xu agreed that it was for the best if she had someone who looked after her, knowing that otherwise she would be alone at home. She tried to be positive about it though, she was with her closest friend and she would be out of the game for two days at most, since she managed to not damage her hands again.

“I know. I’m just happy it was my leg and not my hands,” she mumbled, although the entirety of her body screamed from pain.

“I’m happy you are alive and safe.” Ginger replied, while lovingly stroking her hair.

“That, we are”, Albert added, standing so he could pat her in the head. “We’ll see you later, short stuff.” Rose puffed out her cheeks at the nickname while she watched them go.

“So… what do you want to do?” Ginger inquired.

* * *

“You look terrible”, Albert stated when he gazed briefly at Gust a few hours later, his nose deep in his documents.

Gust was just plain exhausted. He knew he had faint dark circles under his eyes; the hospital chair had been really uncomfortable, and he had spent most of the night feeling the uneasiness that refused to leave. When he finally fell asleep it was already very late at night, and he had woken up with his upper body resting on the hospital bed, just a couple of hours later.

“Try sleeping in a hospital chair”, he retorted, his pencil never stopping. Gust could feel Albert was assessing him, even when he wasn’t looking at him.

“It’s not just that. You're not this grumpy when you don’t sleep." Albert stopped his work to look at his friend.

“I don’t like being worried," Gust stopped working too, leaning on the back of his chair. “I just… I just wish she wasn’t a magnet for trouble." he said, passing a hand through his hair, exasperated.

“It wasn’t her fault, though.”

“Yes, I know…" he mumbled, “it’s just…why did she have to bring everything with her? She was hurt!” he said with a tired sigh.

“It’s just who she is," Albert answered nonchalantly. “You know, she is maybe the only woman I’ve met that hasn't slapped me. She is just that kind.”

“She flirts with you, why would she slap you?”, he asked, unable to hold back the bitterness in his voice.

Albert snorted, much to Gust’s disbelief.

“Rose never saw me in that way. You don’t have to be jealous about it”, he added.

“I’m not-!”, he started to deny, but Albert’s gaze made him stop mid-sentence.

“I don’t know if you realize, Gust, but it is obvious to me you fancy her." He added with a small smile. 

Gust stared at him wide-eyed. The smile his friend had was not a mocking one, he was being serious. He tried to answer but whatever response he was trying to conjure died on his lips. 

When Gust didn’t answer, Albert continued, “What you did last night was something I’ve only seen you do for your sister.”

“She is a friend." he muttered, and Albert snorted at his answer.

“I’m your best friend, and I swear you wouldn’t have left Ginger alone if it had been me." he was smiling widely. “You know what? Scratch that, under other circumstances, you wouldn’t leave Ginger _alone_ with me.”

Gust felt like his blood was both cold and boiling. He had indeed left Ginger alone with Albert, something he hadn’t done since returning to Portia. And he already knew he cared for Rose deeply - last night’s incident had been enough to leave him anxious for a couple of hours. But did he fancy her? Sure, he had bought her a brooch he had yet to give her when they were at Walnut Groove, but when he’d bought it he’d said to himself he was doing it just to thank her for walking QQ. 

It wasn’t a lie, but definitely a half-truth. And then there was that foreign need of human contact he felt every now and then, especially when she was hurt. He'd never been in love before, since he had distanced himself from people so he wasn’t entirely sure if his friend was correct on his assumptions, but he had a weird feeling while trying to deny it. Still, if it turned out Albert was right, he didn’t think he was ready to try and woo Rose. He didn’t even know how to woo to begin with. He could feel the heat rise to his cheeks just from the thought of it.

He didn’t realize he’d zoned out, and jumped at the sudden sound of his best friend’s voice, “Just think about it.” Albert said.

Gust merely buried his nose back into his work.

* * *

“You what?” Ginger was staring at her with an indecipherable expression. In Rose’s defense, it hadn’t been her intention to just spit out about having feelings for Gust, Ginger’s brother. It was just unfortunate it happened that way. The truth was, she was terrified of telling her in the first place. She was her closest friend and she didn’t want to upset her and lose her.

“I… think I like your brother?” she repeated, face full red while playing nervously with her hair, “I wanted you to know before I dared to try to give him a heart knot or anything.” she stammered. “Are you mad?” she asked quietly while hiding her face in her hair.

Ginger was wide-eyed, and then she launched herself over her in a tight hug. Ginger had completely forgotten Rose was in pain, and let her go when she moaned.

“Sorry, I’m so sorry Rosie!” she carefully helped her sit up with a worried face, and then added, “Why would I be mad, dummy?”

“I don’t know, I didn’t want you to think I’m your friend just because of it.” she mumbled, Ginger just rolled her eyes at her.

“Rosemary, you are my best friend. I _know_ you are not my friend because of my brother”, she scolded. Rosie’s throat closed a little. She hadn’t had a best friend in her life; she always felt like an outsider even with her closest friends. 

Rose hugged her softly, a little bit teary. “You are my best friend too.” Ginger returned the hug as softly as she could in order to not hurt her friend again. 

“Are you really going to give him a heart knot?” she asked when she pulled back, and Rose could feel the heat rise to her face again.

“I was actually thinking about knitting it myself, but I don’t know how to knit”, she answered sheepishly. “I don’t want to go to Alice’s, it is a small town and I don’t know if we could still be friends if things go wrong.”

“That makes sense, though I really hope it doesn't come to that,” Ginger shrugged. “Luckily for you, I know how to knit”, she smiled. 

* * *

Knitting was _hard._

Ginger had taught her the basics, but she still ended up making some stitches smaller than others and ended with a rather impressive pile of irregular threads, but by midnight she managed to make a somewhat decent blue heart knot. She tied it on her wrist, with fear of losing the only acceptable heart knot she could make, and hid it under the sleeve of her long, white nightgown. After that, they spent a few hours reading until Ginger fell asleep. Rose was really tired, but had forgotten the pain meds downstairs at lunchtime and they had already lost effect, so she was shifting and tossing on the bed. She was secretly glad Ginger was such a deep sleeper; anyone else would have woken up by now. 

Defeated, she slowly and painfully crawled out of the bed with the intention of going downstairs in search of her medication. Each step made her body hurt, and she was limping, trying to avoid putting more weight on her injured leg, and by the time she made it by the door, every muscle in her body was in pain. She didn’t remember being so sore in her life, but she also didn’t remember being tossed against a wall before.

Careful of not making a sound, Rose opened the door, just to face the reality that she had to climb down the stairs, the mere sight of them made her whine. She managed to go down the first two steps when Gust’s door opened, effectively startling her. Even in the dark, she could see his olive eyes studying her with worry, and his loose blonde hair framing his face. It was the first time she had seen him without his braids, and if she wasn’t in such pain, she probably wouldn’t have been able to stop staring.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up.” she whispered. 

“It’s ok. I wasn’t asleep anyway,” Gust softly answered, “Is something wrong?”

“I forgot the painkillers downstairs.” she answered sheepishly.

“I’ll go for them, go back to bed,” He had just turned to leave when she interrupted him.

“No, I…” Rose was really sick of being in bed all day, the thought of going back and waiting made her uneasy, even if it was for a little while. “I kind of want to sit for a bit.” she found herself answering. 

“Are you sure you can walk?” he inquired, frowning.

“I think so,” Rose tried to slowly make her way to his door, trying to keep a neutral expression, not wanting to go back to bed, but it appeared she wasn’t doing a great job because before she could reach him, he stood in front of her.

“Don’t be so stubborn”, before she could have time to react, he carefully scooped her up.

He went down the rest of the stairs and crossed the corridor that connected to the dining room and walked all the way up to the sofa, where he gently put her down, her heart hammering against her chest.

Rose couldn’t find her words, and Gust left to light one of the lamps, illuminating the room just enough for them to see under the dim light. He disappeared behind the kitchen’s door for a few minutes, and when he returned, he was carrying a tray with a glass of water, two cups of tea and her meds bottle. She looked at him inquiringly.

“I couldn't sleep. Sometimes it helps,” he explained, putting the tray on the coffee table. Rose nodded in understanding.

“Thank you.”

They sat in comfortable silence while she waited for the meds to kick in, enjoying the floral tea and the company. Gust seemed a little bit lost in his thoughts until she noticed him eyeing her wrist. The calm that had settled in her was now gone, and she could feel her heart again hammering against her chest, as well as her blood rush to her face. He hadn’t asked, but he did look confused. 

She knew it was probably not the best moment, but she figured it would never be the best moment anyway. It was a conversation she had to have, and if things went wrong then they could act as though nothing had happened in the morning. Or at least, she hoped they would. Rose returned her mug to the tray as calm as she could, and then she untied the blue string on her wrist.

“I…” she tried to clear her throat, her eyes settled on the knot, “I made it for you.” Rose looked at Gust in time to see his eyes widen.

“For me?” he inquired, as though it was hard to believe her.

“Yeah I… figured it was for the best to do it sooner rather than later.” Gust looked taken aback, and his lack of reply made her self-conscious. “It’s ok if you don’t feel the same. I like being friends with you,” Rose nervously looked away, she put a strand of hair behind her ear, her fingers shaking, “I just wanted to know if I’d gotten my hopes up or…” she trailed off, unable to continue when she noticed that Gust was closer than she remembered.

His brows were slightly furrowed, as if he was considering something, but his eyes were fixed on hers. Slowly, he closed the small distance between them as if he was giving her the chance to step back but she was frozen in place, unable to comprehend what was happening, until she could feel his lips on hers.

After a few moments of panic, she found herself closing her eyes and returning the kiss. It was a rather chaste, sloppy one, but Gust’s hand had found its way to her cheek, and one of hers rested on top of his chest, his heart beating as fast as hers. 

Too soon for her liking, their lips parted, and now Gust was the one who was avoiding her gaze. He held his hand over hers, which was still resting against his chest, the blue heart knot between their fingers.

“I… I’ll take it,” he whispered, a bright shade of pink under his freckles. “It’s-”, he cleared his throat, “it’s well done.”

Rose felt as though her brain had melted. She didn’t know what to say after he accepted her feelings, in fact, that was the first time she had confessed to anyone. It also was the first time she’d been kissed. Just for the sake of distraction, she slipped her hand off his chest, without releasing the heart knot.

“Let me…”, she trailed off, taking his hand and tying the heart knot to his wrist. When she finished, he didn’t let go of her hand. Instead, he squeezed it softly.

“How are you feeling?”, he was looking at her again. She hadn’t noticed the pain was not as awful as it had been, the meds already working their magic.

“I think I can walk now.” she smiled at him.

“Doesn’t mean you should. Come, you need to sleep.” He stood in front of her and put her arms around his neck. She knew by now there was no use in resisting, so she let him carry her all the way to Ginger’s bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read till here and you wish to, please leave a comment! (I don't bite, and I try to reply to each one)They help me to keep my motivation on the worst days and they certainly make my day. I want to make clear that you don't need to in order for me to keep writing, it just helps me to get out of my writing block. Please be safe!


	8. A Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where Gust gets what he wanted.  
> And that's the problem.

Thankfully, Gust managed to sleep a couple of hours before the alarm went off. Still, not being able to sleep as he should the last couple of days was starting to take its toll on him. He’d had this weird dream where Rose somehow shared his newfound feelings, and where he managed to not freeze and kissed her. At least, he thought it was, until his gaze stopped on the blue heart knot tied to his right wrist.

He quickly sat up in bed, now fully awake, just to stare at the handcrafted thread in full panic. 

It hadn’t been a dream, and the realization made his heart race on an erratic rhythm. Yes, she made a heart knot for him, yes, he was very fond of her and very much wanted to kiss her again… but now what? What was he supposed to do with this situation he had gotten himself into? _This_ was the reason he had been avoiding the topic completely, in a state of mind that he would cross that bridge when he got to it ( _if_ he ever got to it), but now he was standing in the middle of it with the sheer realization he was afraid of heights. He didn’t know how to woo, he wasn’t interested before, heck, last night was his first attempt at a kiss too. And speaking of which, what if he screwed it up and Rose was just kind enough to not comment on it? How did he manage to trick the kindest girl in town to believe she was interested in him? How was he going to be able to look her at the face after that night?

And then he remembered she was under that same roof, which worsened his panic. He practically ran to the shower and started scrubbing his hair without waiting for the water to warm, he _had_ to leave before anyone else woke up, before _she_ woke up, and before he was obliged to give explanations. It was the quickest, coldest shower he could recall having. He rushed his entire routine, completely skipping breakfast.

By the time he made it out of his house, the sun was just starting to show up, but he still ran to his office. His hands were shaking and he fiddled with the doorknob, and when he managed to get inside, he leaned his back against it.

“This is unexpected”, Albert’s voice startled him. He completely forgot his best friend usually arrived at the office way earlier than him everyday. The dark-haired man was assessing him, brow arched with worry. “Is everything ok?”

“I…”, he trailed off, unable to find his voice. He had to take a few deep breaths to calm down enough to actually talk, while Albert was staring from a safe distance, the worry never leaving his eyes. “I don’t know.” he finally babbled.

“What’s wrong?” Albert approached him, deciding it was now safe to get closer without pushing Gust to the limit. Not that he wasn’t on it already anyway. How was he going to get help if he couldn’t ask for it in the first place?

Albert seemed to read him and waited patiently for him to open, at least, until he saw his wrist.

“Holy shit." he muttered under his breath.

Gust was disheveled, with deep dark circles under his eyes, his hair dripping wet, and his inability to talk, not to mention he practically ran from his house to go and hide in his office. QQ wasn’t even with him this morning. It didn’t take much to Albert to put two plus two.

“You don’t know what to do, don’t you?” he sighed, clearly having made the correct assumption.

Gust ran a hand over his damp hair, getting it messier than it already was.

“That’s an understatement." he retorted. Gust half expected for him to burst out laughing, but he just seemed worried.

“Talk to me”, Albert put his hand on his shoulder and guided him over his worktable, making him sit. 

Albert looked at him expectantly, giving him time to build up the courage to speak. Gust finally gave in and sighed.

“I… I don’t know where to start," he admitted reluctantly. He was so overwhelmed he was having a hard time following his own thoughts. He knew the logical path was to just ask for help, but help for what?

“Why don’t you start with what makes it easier for you?” his best friend added with a sympathetic smile.

“Easy?” he wondered. There was no “easy” thing about it, so he started with the most obvious statement. “I don’t know if I am made for this. Dating. _This._ ” He rolled his eyes. The more he thought about what he’d done, the more childish his reaction seemed to himself. Albert chuckled.

“You see, dating is not that hard, Gust. You just have to find things and places that both of you enjoy and then you get to spend time together,” he answered nonchalantly. Gust wondered briefly if it was ok to ask Albert, considering he hadn’t been able to continue a relationship for more than a couple of months. “The way I see it, you already did the hardest thing of it all; making someone you like, like you back.”

“Yes, and I’m sure I’ll screw it up." Gust bluntly stated. Albert gave him a thoughtful look.

“Do you regret it?”, he simply asked.

“What? No-I… Quite the opposite," Gust stammered in panic. He didn’t regret it, if he was honest with himself, he had been relieved to know she felt the same, even happy. Still, he was worried. “But what if she does?” he softly asked.

“Look Gust, there is no way for you to know how Rosie feels if you keep avoiding her.” Albert made his way up to him and squeezed his shoulders reassuringly. “I have a feeling about what’s bothering you. But she already took the first step, now it’s your turn to meet her in the middle." he smiled sympathetically. “Invite her on a date, go have fun and _talk_ with her.”

Gust nodded in defeat.

“And please go to sleep. You look awful.”

* * *

Gust entered his house quietly, and was relieved to see no one. He figured his dad was already at work, and Russo was probably shopping at the central plaza. It was still pretty early, so he was sure Ginger was still asleep, and Rosie had had a bad night so he figured she was as well, or at least he hoped she was.

He got to Ginger’s bedroom and slipped a small, white envelope under the door. He then headed to his own room in search of a suitable pair of clothes. Once he was packed, he gathered up the brooch he’d bought in Walnut Groove. Knowing it was securely in his pocket, he left the house as quickly and as quietly as possible, on his way to Albert’s 

If he wanted to talk with Rose, it was for the best if they were alone. He didn’t want to talk with his family, at least not yet, not until he got to talk with her. His plan was simple; he’d left a note for Rosie to meet him at his door at 19:00, he would take her stargazing and they would talk. As friends, he could choose not to tell her the things he was certain would drive her away, as lovers, it wasn’t fair for her to be in such a blind relationship. If everything went well though, he would have the opportunity to be a decent man and take care of her. If not… well, at least Rosie wouldn’t waste her time on him. Either way, his worries would end that day, for better or for worse.

He crashed on Albert’s couch after leaving his clothes hanging on the back of a chair. It was a dreamless sleep, his body was exhausted from everything in the past few days and his brain had been on constant overload. When he woke up a few hours later, he found a package from Django’s, along with a note from Albert that only had one word:

Eat.

He opened the package, grateful that it was still warm, the smell of the food made him remember he hadn’t eaten anything since last night. It was one of his favorites: Baked rice with chicken curry, and it was accompanied by a jar of apricot juice. It was one of those times where he noticed how lucky he was for having Albert as a friend.

He devoured his meal, eating so fast he wasn’t enjoying it as much as usual. When he finished, he took a glance at the clock and sighed, his nervousness returning with full force. He suddenly regretted how quickly he’d eaten, his stomach now queasy.

It was time to get ready.

* * *

In the end, Rose had chosen to wear a long-sleeved deep blue dress. It wasn’t as if she had much of a choice, Albert only brought dresses for her since the stitches were prone to get caught in the clothes making pants a very inconvenient option. Either way, she didn’t like the worried look Gust gave her every time he saw her bruises. She could cover most of her bruises with clothing but the one under her eye was a whole other story. She and Ginger had attempted to cover it with makeup, and while it looked faded, it was still there.

Admittedly, she had been surprised when she’d found the envelope. It had her name in beautiful, elegant handwriting, and the note inside was brief.

“Meet me at the door at 19:00. Don’t be late!”

Of course, she’d had to explain everything that had happened to Ginger before she could ask for help, and it had been embarrassing to say the least. At first Ginger had been a little bit mad that she hadn’t waited for her to go and plan a confession, but when she told her it was probably for the best it had happened that way (alone, with no one seeing and with the opportunity to go as if nothing had happened at all), Ginger gave in. Instead, she asked for every single detail, which had Rose overwhelmed with embarrassment.

As the clock hit 19:00, she hesitantly opened the front door. In all honesty, she wasn’t surprised to find Gust already waiting for her. He wore a salmon sweater with a white and beige checkered shirt underneath and black pants. A long, light brown jacket rested on his arm. If Rose had to describe him with a word, she would probably use ‘handsome’. She looked at him sheepishly, convinced he could see the blush under her freckles, that very much matched the blush under his. She walked towards him, and when she was closer, Gust cleared his throat and looked everywhere but at her.

“I.. Albert gave me this whilst in Walnut Groove. I have no use for it, so you can have it.” he handed her a green and blue crystal brooch. 

She marveled at the delicate work, and she gently ran her fingertips over the golden accents. Rose muttered a small “thank you” and she put it on over her heart. Rose wasn’t entirely convinced Albert gave it to Gust, but was willing to let it slide for the time being, smiling warmly at him. It wasn’t the first time she’d received a gift from him, but this time it was not a gift out of necessity.

Rose was startled when Gust approached her and gently caressed the bruise under her eye with his thumb.

“How are you feeling?” he inquired, finally looking at her eyes.

“Surprisingly good,” she replied honestly. Gust let his hand slide off her cheek and nodded.

“Then let's go.” he extended his arm and she laced her fingers onto it.

“Where are we going?” she asked.

“To the church.” he simply stated.

They walked in silence up to the entrance of the ruins under the church, where Gust stopped. By this time, Rose already knew his intentions; if he didn't let her go downstairs, he wasn’t going to let her go uphill all the way to the church. Without much debate, he leaned down, placed her arm around his shoulder, and picked her up easily in his arms. 

With a good pair of legs, the trip all the way up was fifteen minutes long. She was curious as to what they were going to do there, but decided not to ask yet, since she felt Gust was less talkative than usual. She was merely content with being able to be in his arms as close as this, his musky scent was something she was mesmerized with. When they got to the top, he gently let her down near a large rock.

“So… what are we doing here?” she finally asked, giving in to her curiosity.

“Stargazing, of course,” he stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Gust took a seat on the rock, and left his jacket on a side, then patted at his side as an indication for her to sit down. She smiled at him and complied. When she looked up, she was taken aback. Right there, on top of the church and away from the lights of the small city, the stars seemed brighter and closer, and not just that, somehow she had the feeling there were more. She absent-mindedly got up and walked a few steps forward, as if she was trying to reach them.

That’s when she felt Gust’s hands embracing her from behind, dragging her with him back to the rock. She was now sitting on his lap, his arms still draped over her.

“Gust?” she asked while trying to look back, but Gust was adamant on keeping her still.

“Please stay like that.” he begged, a hint of prayer in his voice.

It was the same tone of voice he used when he’d asked her to take care of herself, raw and emotional. She stopped trying to turn, fixing her gaze at the distance, and then nodded.

“If… if you are going to be my partner, there is something I need to tell you”, his voice was just above a whisper, but she could hear him perfectly, his breath tingling on her ear.

“Okay”, she answered in a low voice. By now, she was starting to worry. He sighed before he continued.

“There was a time where I hated Ginger. When she was born, I blamed her for the death of our mother, and I ignored her existence. I hated her so much that, when I was fourteen, I left for Atara,” Gust could barely maintain his voice steady, but he continued anyway. “I wasn’t planning to come back at the time. While studying there I… realized I’ve been blaming her for something she didn’t have control of, but I didn’t know how to fix things with her. When she…” Gust trailed off, his voice breaking. Rose put a hand over one of his and gave him a little squeeze. She already knew what he was referring to, Ginger had told her herself. “I just… I had to come back.”

She felt Gust slide his hands off her, and she found that simple act worrisome. Still, she waited patiently for him to continue. She knew he wasn’t a man of words, unless something really bothered him.

“I don’t know what concept you have of me, Rose, but I’ve abandoned my family. That’s the type of man I am,” he mumbled. “I understand if you don’t want to continue being a friend.” Gust had his hands in a fist over his knees, so tight she could see a faint whiteness on his knuckles.

Rose got up from her spot and finally turned to look him in the face, her brows furrowed. She could tell he was expecting for her to be mad at him, because he was trying to keep his expression neutral, and when she raised her hands he closed his eyes, as if he was expecting a hit. Instead, she cupped his head in her hands, and Gust opened his eyes in surprise.

“How are you so smart and yet so silly?” she found herself asking. “Why did you even think I would step back?” and if she hadn’t known how much trust it had cost him to open up, she may have laughed at his puzzled expression.

“But I…” he trailed off in his confusion.

“Yes, Gust of the past made _very_ stupid decisions. But I… think there was some logic behind that, even if childish. I mean, you were a child”, she shrugged, not moving her hands from his cheeks a bit. “But you grew up, you learned from your mistake, and most importantly, you came _back_.”

She hoped she got her point across. She thought he was worried because of what happened with her dad, but she sincerely thought Gust had learned from his mistakes, and faced them. She wished her dad did the same, but knew otherwise.

Gust seemed to think about it, and then covered one of her hands with his.

“Are you sure you are okay with me?” his voice carried a bit of hope, yet sounded hurt.

She smiled warmly at him, and softly stroked his skin with her thumbs.

“I like this Gust. Grumpy? Yes. But also smart, passionate and caring. You are a lot more than your mistakes.” he looked very much like he would like to argue, so she did the only thing she’d wanted to do since the night before.

She leaned and kissed him softly. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you read till here and you wish to, please leave a comment! (I don't bite, and I try to reply to each one)They help me to keep my motivation on the worst days and they certainly make my day. I want to make clear that you don't need to in order for me to keep writing, it just helps me to get out of my writing block. Please be safe!


	9. The place where my heart rests

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I went missing for so long. Things got a bit crazy and I had a lot of work to do (I also got stuck with one scene in this chapter for a long time, and this week I lost a family member).

Whatever Gust was expecting, it certainly wasn’t _this_. He’d thought Rose would be, at least, disappointed. There had been a moment where he thought she was going to hit him, he was mentally prepared for that, but when he closed his eyes… the hit never arrived. He was startled when, instead, he felt her small hands framing his face, and he opened his eyes in surprise. But if he wasn’t expecting that, he was completely taken aback when she closed the distance between their lips.

How could she accept him so easily? How, when he had done the same thing she despised the most? He’d tried to fix his mistakes, but it didn’t mean they were nonexistent. But… he would be lying to himself if he said he wasn’t glad she had chosen to stay with him, how much it had meant to him.

Gust hesitantly returned the kiss. He still wanted to tell her she deserved better, but he found it was hard to think when her lips moved against his. After a few moments, all he could think about was her. Her soft lips, her hand that had slipped to the nape of his neck, her soft scent, that vaguely resembled the scent of flowers and grass. Her taste, that he could only describe as sweet (combined with the faint taste of strawberry and mint of the toothpaste he knew Ginger used) lingering on his own lips.

And soon it wasn’t enough. It wasn’t enough because he still feared he would open his eyes and she would disappear. Because, he needed to let her know how much she meant to him. Because her affection for him was what he didn’t know he’d craved. And her kissing him, rather than satisfying him, only made him want more, something he could only describe as a different kind of hunger.

Gust tentatively pressed his lips harder against her mouth, and was pleased when she parted her lips. He trapped her bottom lip between his, caressing it with his tongue, before he slowly made his way into her mouth, giving her time to step back. If he’d been delighted with her taste before, now he was just plain intoxicated, her tongue meeting his in the middle at a very gentle pace.

He didn’t know how long they'd kissed for, but when they parted, he thought her lips looked a little rosier. Gust felt a little dizzy, but for once, he was at peace. He stood up and embraced her, resting his cheek on her head, and felt Rose´s arms circling his waist. Gust whispered a thank you and thought she hadn't heard, until she squeezed him in response.

The night was starting to get cold, he could feel her shivering under his embrace. He parted for a moment and reached out for his jacket, putting it over her shoulders.

“Do you want us to leave?” he inquired, a hint of worry in his voice. Rose shook her head.

“I want to stay a little bit longer.”

* * *

It was the first time in a long time that Gust could say he’d had a good night’s sleep. No nightmares, no uneasy feelings, and no tossing around on the bed for hours before it came to him. In fact, he was having a very hard time getting out of bed.

In the end, they'd gazed at the stars for over an hour, until Rose had fallen asleep. She’d been sitting sideways on his lap, snuggled against his chest, when he’d noticed she hadn’t said a thing for a few minutes, her breathing slow. When he’d looked down, he couldn’t help staring at her eyelashes, as black as her hair, and the contrast they had with the wispy freckles that covered the top of her nose and spread under her eyes. It was a shame, though, that she’d fallen asleep. He'd been stealing glances at the stars reflected in her deep blue eyes, marveling at the sight of them when she wasn’t looking.

Gust had remembered how he had caressed the faded purple bruise under her eye, and the guilt that had crawled back to him to nip at his heart. It didn’t matter what she’d said that night, the truth was that if he had followed his gut earlier, she wouldn’t be so wounded.

He’d made it all the way home down the hill with Rose curled up against him, and thanked whatever god was listening that all of his family were already asleep. He’d gently put her down on Ginger’s bed and tucked her in, amused that she didn’t even stir a bit in her sleep.

A knock on the door brought him back to reality.

“Breakfast is served," Russo stated. “Gale, Miss Ginger and Miss Rose are awaiting your presence.”

Gust could hear the sound of Russo walking away, he rushed to his door and opened it.

“Wait, I…” He stopped the man in his tracks while holding his sleeve. Russo looked at him with an arched brow, “I need to ask for a favor.”

* * *

“Well, it’s great you decided to join us for breakfast, brother,” Ginger teased when Gust approached his seat at her side, poorly hiding her smile behind her cup of tea.

He was wearing a simple white shirt and a black, elegant sweater, along with beige skinny pants. Rose was sitting in front of him, their eyes met briefly, both of them shyly looked away.

“I was tired,” he replied nonchalantly.

“Definitely, you two sure stayed up late last night,” she eyed both him and Rosie. Rosie could feel the heat rise to her face.

Ginger had, in fact, threatened to tease them when all Rosie said to her incessant questioning a few minutes ago was “we went stargazing”. Ginger had also told Gale the news. Rosie had to give the man credit, he looked like he was trying his best to keep quiet.

“Anything you want to share?” Ginger added, she wasn’t even trying to hide her smile anymore.

“Is there any need? You’re practically gleaming,” he let out a tired sigh, like he was expecting it. “And if I had to guess, I would tell you already told Pa,” he added.

“Well son, I must admit I would have preferred you’ve told me instead, but I think your sister was too excited to hold back the news,” Gale smiled apologetically.

“I needed to do something before making it official,” Gust eyed Rose briefly, an almost unnoticeable blush appeared under his freckles, and he returned his gaze to his tea, sipping it absently.

“If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll have another member in our family,” Gale said. Gust choked on his tea. His cheeks burned with an intense shade of red, mirroring the shade Rosie had on hers.

If Rosie was honest with herself, she really didn’t see it coming, and, of course, Ginger was trying to hide her amusement for the sake of her best friend. But Rosie could see the glow in her eyes, and Gale seemed satisfied with the reaction he got by teasing his son. Rosie wasn’t sure of what to answer, or if she should be answering in the first place. It was too early to think that far ahead.

“Pa!” Gust said when he could breathe again.

“I’m kidding!” Gale raised his hands in defense. “Sort of,” he softly added. “If anything, I’m happy for you both,” he added with a smile.

The rest of breakfast went smoothly, with both Gale and Ginger letting the subject aside for the time being. When they finished, Rosie stood up and grabbed her back from home. Now that she felt better, she felt it was time to leave. As much as she enjoyed the company, she was embarrassed of all the trouble she’d made for them.

“You’re leaving?” Gust asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.

“I feel better already,” Rose said. “Besides, I feel uncomfortable knowing I have unfinished commissions.” Gust huffed in response. “I won’t overwork, I promise,” she quickly added.

“You know you are welcome any time, dear,” Gale added. Rose thought it didn't matter who Gale spoke to, he always had that father-to-son tone of voice.

“Thank you Mr. Gale,” Rose answered. Gust stood up from his seat and approached her.

“I’ll walk you home,” he stated. Rose knew that, no matter what she said, he would do it anyway, so she nodded.

Ginger stood up too so she could hug her, Rosie returned the gesture towards her best friend.

“I’ll miss having you at home,” she said. “I still want to hear about that date, though,” she whispered mischievously into her ear. Rosie tried not to blush under her gaze when they parted, and she was relieved when they left the mayor’s home.

* * *

“I’m sorry they’ve made you uncomfortable”, Gust spoke softly. He was carrying her bag on one shoulder, Rosie’s arm around his while they walked. “It’s one of the reasons I’ve been hesitant to tell them before.”

Rosie shook her head and then looked at him.

“It’s ok. I already knew Ginger would tease us for it,” she gave him a soft smile. “Besides, your family is open and loving, it was charming to see you are so close you can afford a little bit of teasing.”

Sometimes it wasn’t the things she said, but the things she didn’t that made him uneasy. That simple sentence was enough to tell him the family she grew up with wasn’t as close as he’d liked to think. There were several things that bothered him about Rosie. Her lack of self care, her unnatural kindness, the need she seemed to have to please others, the way she tried to not spend more than she needed to, the fear she’d become like her dad. Gust didn’t want to be nosy, all he wanted was to make all her fears and bad experiences disappear.

Without realising it, he’d pulled her closer to him as they walked.

As they approached her gate, Gust found he was having a hard time letting her go, knowing that the recent events were to blame, at least to some degree. He begged the gods she didn’t get in trouble _again_. He also refused to give her back her bag until they were at her door.

“Promise me you’ll take care?” he asked, stroking the bruise under her eye. Rosie placed her hand on top of his, turning her head so she could give a small kiss to his hand before looking at his eyes.

“I promise.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: originally they were going to be married by this point. The objective of this fic was basically write about domestic life with Gust and the builder, but it was rushed (it still is, just not as rushed as the original idea), though we are getting very close to that (I'm sorry for the digital diabetes because I know I'm cheesy, but I can't help it since I really love both Gust and Rosie).  
> I'm considering introducing my other builder (my boy Ezra, a craftsman), who'll be Albert's partner, but I do want to know how you feel about that.


	10. Between the best and the worst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some months have passed since the Amber Island incident, and life is quiet and good.
> 
> Until it isn't.

Siwa was busy chopping ingredients for his dinner. A draft of air and sand crept through one of the windows, startling the wind chimes. He paid no attention to it. Having lived this many years in the desert, he was used to some noise when there were sandstorms. This one wasn’t particularly strong, and being so close to the river his house was always at the edge of it. It wouldn’t be an hour before it was over, probably just before sunset.

Lost in his thoughts, he jumped at the sound of a single, loud thud near his front door. With his curiosity piqued, he covered the food and ingredients with a heavy plate, protecting it from the sand that would enter as soon as he opened the door.

Covering his face, Siwa had to resist the urge to close the door as soon as he’d opened it. Laid on his doorstep was a bloodied body. Siwa stepped back in horror, but the body started making small, whimpering noises. 

“It… h-hurts,” a man’s voice mumbled.

It sounded almost like a kid, and the voice was so weak he didn’t have the heart to close the door. Groaning, he carefully dragged the body inside. He removed his glasses and pulled the cloth away from his face to get a better look at the man. Turning him onto his back, he looked young, no more than twenty five years old. He was covered in both dried and fresh blood, a wide cut adorning his barely clothed chest. He hugged a wooden box between his arms, and when Siwa touched his burning skin, he curled over himself with a groan of pain, bringing the box closer to him.

Whoever this man was, Siwa knew he’d been attacked, and he was surprised he was still alive after a sandstorm. Still, he was burning up and, by the looks of it, was probably having hallucinations. He hurried to clean the blood off of his face, but the boy curled again as soon as he tried to get close to his chest. He had the feeling that was a battle he wasn’t going to win unless the young man was unconscious.

With no other choice, he dragged his body over a wooden board as a makeshift stretcher, tying him down, he covered the young man as best as he could.

He needed a doctor.

* * *

QQ snored softly at her side while Rosie cleaned one of the fans she’d found in the ruins. A few months have passed since the cave incident, and summer was getting close, each day warmer than the last. She looked at the clock over her desk and wiped the remains of the cleaning foam from the fan, turning it side to side in her hands. It amused her how Gust would wrinkle his nose wherever he faced something dirty, but wouldn’t comment when she, herself, was covered in mud and dirt from the ruins, and instead would wipe her face with a cloth. Pleased with her work, Rosie got up and patted QQ in the head before heading outside, fan in hand.

The cold breeze against her skin was a relief compared to the warmness of her house. Even if she had lived some years in Barnarock, she never got used to the heat. She glanced at the last traces of sunset disappearing completely before walking the familiar path to the Mayor’s house.

She knocked twice before the door opened, revealing Russo. 

“Welcome, Miss Rosie,” he greeted her with a subtle bow.

“Thank you, Russo,” she returned the gesture and made her way in.

Rosie ascended the first set of stairs and softly opened the door to Gust’s room, hiding the fan behind her back. Gust was, as she’d expected, too focused working on his project to notice her presence, his brows furrowed as he sketched something on his work. She knocked softly on the door to get his attention, meeting him with a smile when he looked at her.

“Just two minutes, I promise,” Rosie said. She waited at the entrance for his approval.

Gust gave her a side smile, resting his pencil on the desk, “I think I can afford ten.” He looked like he was melting, even with his window open. His hair was in a loose bun, and his suit jacket was resting on the chair. 

“My inspiration has vaporized with this weather-” he continued before noticing she was hiding something behind her back, “what are you hiding there?”

Rosie closed the door before approaching him, “Oh, just something that may help,” she answered before putting the fan on his desk.

Gust smiled widely this time. “You really are something.”

Rosie could feel a slight heat in her face but brushed it off. “I… may or may not have overheard when you were complaining a couple days ago.”

Gust plugged the fan in and looked pleased when the blades started spinning. “You really like to be nosy, hmm?” he asked with a playful grin. He took her hands between his, squeezing them softly, “thanks”.

“As much as I enjoy your new look, I didn’t want the mayor’s son to melt”, Rosie said. Gust, of course, flushed as soon as he heard her. He still wasn’t used to her openly flirting or complimenting him.

“I know,” he said, trying to keep it cool, he looked away from her. Rose bit her lip to hold back a giggle.

“Rosie?” the gentle voice of Ginger could be heard from the other side of the door.

Rosie looked at the closed entrance and sighed. “That was not ten minutes,” she muttered. She went to release Gust’s hands, but he held on tight. Pulling her down, he placed a soft kiss on her lips. 

“Take care,” he said when their lips parted.

“We will,” she said with a soft smile.

She had taken over Gust’s role of going for a walk with Ginger every night. He hadn’t asked her to, she did it out of the genuine joy of being with her best friend. Besides, taking a slow walk to the river, when she was used to running all over Portia everyday to finish her commissions, was a nice change of pace. It served as a distraction too, since it was the tenth day Gust had been locked inside his room, she had seen him only twice for a couple of minutes, counting this time. She never expected to miss someone this much. It felt ridiculous knowing he wasn’t really away. 

She still had to wait three more days.

That night was pretty similar to the last couple of nights; they walked slowly towards the river, avoiding talking too much on the way there so that Ginger wasn’t tired by the time they arrived, saving whatever conversation they had for when they were sitting in the grass.

These days Rosie rarely had an interesting story to tell Ginger, since she had been busy making the Dee-dees, but Rosie could tell Ginger was excited to ride in one.

“As soon as I finish the Dee-dee stops you’ll have a chance,” she promised.

“I wonder if I’ll be able to come out during the day more,” Ginger said, her voice no louder than a whisper.

“Maybe not this side of the river, since there are no trees that cover us… but, what about Gust’s usual painting spot?” Rosie chimed in.

“I will make you a thousand talismans if you can convince my brother,” she giggled.

“What am I going to do with that many talismans?” Rosie feigned horror.

“Why are you so sure you’ll convince him?”

“I just think I can.”

She didn’t, but for Ginger she’d try. Rosie never had any brothers or sisters, but she loved Ginger as much as one. She also knew Gust overprotected her, but she also understood where that came from. Still, Ginger wasn’t as weak as he thought she was.

They continued chatting about nonsense when Ginger spotted something in the water.

“Rose, what is that?” she muttered.

“I think… I think it’s a boat,” she narrowed her eyes, trying to see better.

It was a boat, but Rosie couldn’t make out who or what was on it as it headed in a beeline straight for them. Rosie got up from the grass and instinctively put herself in front of Ginger, a sudden feeling of uneasiness invading her. 

And then she heard the man yelling.

“We need a doctor!” His voice pierced the silence of the night.

The shape of the silhouette and the voice sounded familiar, Rosie walked towards the shore to have a better look. Her eyes widened when she realized it was one of the Hulu brothers, and if her guess was correct, it was Siwa.

“Call Paulie and Dr. Xu!” He continued yelling.

She turned back to Ginger. “Stay here, I’ll go and get help,” Ginger nodded, visibly worried. 

Rosie ran as fast as she could. Before she knew it, she was banging on Paulie’s door, her pulse racing. She explained as fast as possible (which wasn’t hard, given that the only information she had was Siwa or someone else needed help) before running to Xu’s and doing the same. She and the doctor rushed back to the river, while Phyllis stayed at the clinic preparing a bed. When they arrived, Rosie could barely breathe. Ginger approached her and rubbed her back with a hand. Ginger’s brow was furrowed with worry.

“Let me see,” the doctor ordered, kneeling beside the young man. Siwa and Paulie gave him space.

“What happened?” Rosie asked Ginger in a whisper.

“No one knows. Siwa found him like that at his front door. He thinks he was attacked, and he refuses to let that wooden box go,” the younger woman answered softly.

The man’s pained groans as Paulie lifted him up made her shiver. “I really hope he’s okay,” she squeezed Ginger’s arm softly.

Dr. Xu walked to them, a stern look on his face. “You two should go and rest. I’m sorry you’ve had to see someone this injured. I know it can be as unsettling as watching an accident. Thank you for telling me, Rose,” he patted them both on the arm softly before rushing back to the clinic. Rosie looked back at Ginger.

“We should go.”


	11. Broken pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still in shock from the night's events, Rosie has to deal with the aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TRIGGER WARNING: Please, if you are uncomfortable with, or are suffering anxiety, please skip the first scene. I've tried my best to tone it down and so far my beta and a friend are ok with it, but it might not be the case for everyone so please be aware.

Rosie could hear her own heartbeat in the silence of the night. Neither she nor Ginger said a word, both of them too startled to speak. Rosie had her arm looped around her friend’s, whether it was her or Ginger who was shaking, she didn’t know. 

She couldn’t stop thinking about the man. He couldn’t be much older than her, and yet she couldn’t shake the thought that he was on a lifeline. Rosie had never seen someone that injured. The image of the man, almost completely covered in his own blood, along with his pained groans had made a home inside her mind.  Thoughts hurdled around her head, ways she might have helped. But what more could she have done? 

Ginger knocked on the door, startling her. She’d managed to walk all the way back to Gale’s home without even noticing . Rosie knew she should calm down for the sake of the situation, but the door opened before she could even try.

Luck wasn’t on her side. She was faced by a pair of green, bright, eyes.  She watched as they changed from confusion to fear.

“What happened?” Gust asked, his voice strained.

Rosie opened her mouth to answer but it was so dry she couldn’t talk. She had the intention of being the one that explained the situation, but it was Ginger who started talking first. When Ginger finished, Rosie thought she saw Russo and Gale leaving the house.

“Are you ok?” Gust asked, his worry now clear in his voice.

“I am, but Rosie…” Ginger trailed off. Gust looked towards Rosie. She tried to speak but couldn’t find the words.

“I’m fine,” she said with the steadiest voice she could manage. Her brain didn’t register entering the house, and she certainly didn’t remember Gust holding her arms or Ginger releasing her.

“Darling... you’re shaking,” he said it slowly, as if he wanted to make sure she understood.

“I just, I…” she mumbled, and then breathed in, “I need to go home now,” she decided.

“Absolutely not, you’re staying here,” he commanded. 

“But your work…” she started, her eyes kept darting away from Gust, unable to focus on anything.

“My work be damned. There is no way I’m letting you be alone,” he said, his eyes chasing hers.

_ Alone _ , she thought. That made her remember something.

“QQ…” Rosie made an attempt to turn back, but was met with resistance.

“Russo is already on his way to get him back,” Gust insisted, and for the brief moment she could see his face, his eyebrows furrowed even more than before.

Every time she tried to focus on something she could feel her gaze drifting. Everything was too slow and too fast at the same time, and the hammering against her chest hadn’t stopped since she’d ran to Paulie’s.

“I need air,” she blurted out, freeing herself from Gust’s hold and clumsily opening the door.

She just made it through the door before her knees decided they couldn’t hold her weight anymore.  She fell forward, catching herself with her hands before she hit the cold, rough street . Rosie felt like she was dying. It didn’t matter how much air she tried to breathe, it wasn’t enough. She was gasping desperately. She didn’t know how much time passed before she felt Gust looping her arms around his neck, pulling her close so her chin rested on his shoulder.

He didn’t lift her up, he just embraced her on the floor, his hands making soothing circles on her back.

“You’re ok, you’re safe,” he whispered in her ear. “Breathe with me,” he said softly.

And she tried. She could hear him taking  slow breaths near her ear, and Rosie tried to mimic his pace. It was agonizing. It felt even worse than before, but she continued anyway because Gust was clearly trying something, even if she didn’t understand what.

After what felt like an eternity, Rosie started to be able to breathe properly, though she was still shaking a bit… she was exhausted.

“I think I’m ok now…” she muttered in a very low, raspy voice. Rosie let her head rest on Gust’s, just noticing his loose wet hair. He wasn’t wearing what she last saw him if she went by how his clothes felt under her grasp.

“You’re still shaking a bit,” he acknowledged.

“Yes, but I’m breathing now”.

Gust didn’t answer right away, he seemed to be considering something.

“I’ll take you inside.”

* * *

They were supposed to be sleeping, but they were staring at each other. Gust had suggested Rosie slept with Ginger,  same as she had before. But Ginger insisted Rosie needed him. It had been a while since his sister had gone to sleep, QQ following behind her. 

Now, they were tucked under a light blanket, the lights long since off, his window still open.  Under any ordinary circumstances he would be freaking out just at the thought of having her in his bed, but right now he was just grateful to see her calm. He’d known something was off as soon as he’d opened the door earlier that night. He had remained calm in hopes that Rosie would stop freaking out, but it still had been hard watching her so disoriented, so scared, and gasping for air. Rosie had stopped shaking not long after Gale said the man was out of danger, but still looked uneasy.

He felt more at ease now that she was with him, and wondered if Ginger had made him change his mind for the sake of Rosie or his. 

“I’m sorry,” she whispered to him.

“For what?” he asked, his voice as soft as hers.

“I’m always making you worry,” Rosie said.

He couldn’t accept her apologizing for things that were out of her control. 

“Don’t be,” he answered honestly. 

They laid in silence for a few moments. Rosie drew circles on Gust’s free hand as he stroked her hair with the other.

“How did you know?” Rosie’s voice was soft 

He didn’t have to ask to know what she meant.

“Because that’s exactly what happened to me when I received the letter from my Pa. You looked as lost as I’d felt.” And the truth was, he suspected the trigger had been the same for her. That well known fear of not being able to do something.

Rosie looked as if she was wondering if she should ask something or not, and Gust confirmed it when she, even softer than before, asked “How did you get out of it?”

“Albert,” he simply answered. “He was with me when it all happened. We discussed where we were going to start our business that same morning. After that, he said we were moving to Portia… I still can’t believe he was willing to do that”. That one, he remembered, had been a terrible day.

“Albert is a great friend,” she added.

“That, he is,” Gust agreed. He couldn’t be more grateful.

She smiled at him, but remained quiet, caressing his cheek.

“Thank you, Gust,” she said wholeheartedly, but he didn’t answer because she looked like she was mulling over saying something or not. “I love you,” she whispered.

Gust froze. It was the first time he’d listened to those two words since they had started dating, it had caught him completely off guard.

“I...” he trailed off, a shaky breath escaped his lips.

_ I love you too _ , he thought, but for some reason, the words couldn’t escape his mouth.

So he brought her close to his chest and kissed her forehead, in hopes she would understand how he felt, how precious she was to him. He kissed her nose, he kissed her cheek, and finally he softly kissed her lips with utter adoration. When their lips parted, he stared at her, almost desperately. She smiled before she buried her head in his neck and whispered: 

“I know.”

* * *

He was met with an intense light as soon as he opened his eyes… or rather, he was able to see an intense light with one eye a dim light with the other. When he tried to get away from it by turning to his other side, an intense pain made him curl over himself and groan.

“Easy there,” a gentle man’s voice said.

A man? Just where the hell was he? The last thing he could remember was being attacked in the middle of the desert.

_ Oh, so that explains the pain _ , he thought.

Still, it didn’t help to explain where he was. He blinked several times to help his eye adjust to the light, but flinched when he felt the stranger’s hand on his forehead.

“I’m sorry, this is going to be a bit uncomfortable,” he said before gently raising his eyelid and briefly pointing at him with a light. It  _ was _ uncomfortable, and now he had a bright blind spot wherever he shifted his gaze. “I’m glad Siwa brought you here as soon as he found you.” the man continued, “We were afraid we’d lose you last night”.

He blinked several times until he could actually  _ see _ the owner of the voice. It was a young, dark haired man with gentle eyes and soft smile, a white coat rested on his shoulders. He patted the surface where he was resting, it finally clicked that he wasn’t in the desert as his hands met soft cloth under his body. He must be in a clinic, as to where that clinic was, that was another story. He could feel he was naked under the thin gown, the blanket that covered him almost as thin.

And then he remembered something.

“Where…?” he bolted upright, a sharp pain ran through his body, leaving him breathless.

“Hey, it 's ok!” the doctor rushed to hold his back and lower him gently on the bed, while the room he was in spun under his blurry gaze. The sudden dizziness was too much to handle, and the feeling didn’t stop even when his body was now resting in the bed again. He squeezed his eyes shut. “You shouldn’t move this much, you lost a lot of blood. You’ll be weak for some days until your body can recover.”

He swallowed heavily, wondering if the room would stop moving if he opened his eyes again. He then felt something hard on his hands, that rested on top of his chest. Slowly, he dared to open his eyes.

“We didn’t open it, if that’s what you are worried about. Phylis just cleaned the exterior because it was soaked in blood.” 

He opened the lid of his wooden box with shaky fingers, and sighed as soon as he noticed all of his tools were, in fact, there. He closed the lid, bringing the box close to his chest and closed his eyes in relief.

“Thank you,” he muttered with a weak voice.

“Do you remember what happened to you?” the doctor asked.

Did he? He knew he’d been attacked, that was the last thing he could recall. But as for the reasons why he was attacked in the first place, he couldn’t get a grip on his memories. He remembered he’d held his wooden box as if his life depended on it, but that was all.

After a few moments of silence, he heard the man speak again. “It’s ok if you don’t,” he reassured him. “Can you remember your name?”

It took him a few moments, but then he answered.

“Ezra.”


	12. Of new beginnings

Ezra could hardly believe his luck. 

He eyed the folded blouse that rested on the hospital bed, marveling at the softness of the fabric under his fingers. He wasn’t a tailor, but he knew it was expensive. Same as the high-waisted red pants that laid underneath the blouse. If he was honest with himself, he felt that, at any minute, people would start bursting into the room, asking him to pay for their troubles of taking care of him. He couldn’t fathom why Carol would be so kind to give him nice new clothes - it could have been any old clothing just to keep him from being naked. Or why Alice was willing to let him live with her until he was able go back to business and care for himself.

After reassuring himself _again_ that no, they wouldn’t do that since he really didn’t have anything else than his tools, Ezra carefully, painfully, and slowly put on the clothes. He tried as best he could to not reopen the wounds Dr. Xu had carefully treated.

Every little move he made sent pain shooting through his entire body. It didn’t come as a surprise, since most of his body was covered in deep purple bruises. He slowly made his way to the door, and found a smiling face once he exited the clinic.

“Ready to go?” Alice asked, a kind smile playing in her lips.

“I… yes,” he stammered. 

The sun was setting when they began the long way to her house. She was walking much slower, and it didn’t take much to know it was so he could keep her pace comfortably. He felt like crying; after having the worst day of his life, after losing everything… it was very hard to believe the kindness he was receiving. But he held back the tears, since he knew it would be chaotic with one eye patched… the last thing he wanted was to increase his pain.

When they were halfway through, he spotted a black haired girl running towards them, rushing up the stairs. She was wearing gray overalls, a pickaxe hanging on her hip, a couple of containers resting in her hands. She stopped in front of them and panted heavily, trying to catch her breath.

“I’m… I’m so glad you’re ok,” she said through laboured breaths. “I heard from Arlo you were going to stay with Alice for a few days. Django gave me these for the three of you,” she handed the containers to Alice, squeezing her arm once, greeting her.

Ezra was startled. He didn’t know who this young woman was, and why she genuinely sounded so relieved. 

“I was with Ginger when Siwa brought you on his boat,” she scratched her arm nervously, she must have read the confusion on his face as she began to explain, “I… I was really scared you wouldn’t make it. I couldn’t stop thinking about if I could have run faster to get help. Gale told us you were out of danger but I guess I needed to see it for myself.” Realization hit him like a cold bucket of water. In some way, she, Siwa and Dr. Xu were the ones he owed his life to.

He had to take a deep breath to stop himself from bursting into tears, biting his lip.

“No, I… thank you,” he stuttered, his voice breaking. She smiled at him.

“I’ll go now, I wasn’t planning on stopping you for too long. Alice, please, as always, tell me if you need anything. Not just for Ezra but for you or Jack as well,” the young woman added.

“I’ll let you know,” Alice answered, but before the smaller woman could leave, Alice grabbed her by the arm, “are you ok, Rosie? Arlo said you had a rough time.”

“I am now,” Rosie beamed back to her. Alice nodded, reassured about her friend, she and Ezra went on their way. 

He followed Alice until they were at her front door, hesitating a bit when she opened it.

“It’s not much but I think it may be more comfortable than a hospital bed,” Alice explained, as though she were embarrassed.

“Is it really ok for me to stay with you?” he asked, stuck in the entrance. “I really don’t want to bother you, or anyone. I’m an outsider and I’m already causing trouble.”

Alice gave him a knowing smile, placing the containers on the small table at the center of the room.

“It's ok, Ezra. Now, would you be so kind to come in and close the door?” she asked with a sweet voice, although he thought her voice was sweet no matter what.

“Yes, sorry,” he nervously closed the door.

They ate in a weird silence. The food was better than he’d had in his life, and he was so hungry he had to remind himself to eat slower. Jack, who had to be seven or so years, eyed him several times. He looked like he wasn’t sure if he should trust him or not, which Ezra supposed was good. It was always good when kids were distrustful of adults. Jack seemed to be more mature than a kid of his age would normally be.

Jack went to bed first, and Ezra stood in the middle of the room awkwardly.

“I’ll be sleeping with Jack so don’t worry. You’ll have this bed for the time being,” Alice smiled warmly at him. 

When she turned around to leave him to his own company, he surprised himself by asking, “Why are you ok with this?”

Alice looked at him for only a moment before walking to the bed. Sitting on the edge of it, she patted the side, indicating him to join her. He approached the bed slowly, hesitantly occupying the space. 

“Jack and I were from Lucien,” she started talking in a soft voice, as though she didn’t want Jack to listen, “when we… when we lost everything, Portia took us in. That was two years ago. We arrived having nothing, and we received a lot of help from everyone. I think you’re in the same situation we were. I’m just glad I can help someone as we were helped once”.

He felt more at ease knowing that. He found his previous assumptions that people were doing it to get something back a bit ridiculous. Though, if he was fair, he was attacked on his way there, almost losing his life. Still, Alice sharing their space with him… it meant a lot.

“Thank you, Alice,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“It’s ok,” she replied, standing up. “Goodnight, Ezra”, Alice briefly stroked his light pink hair, before disappearing into the other room. He was startled at the sudden show of affection, but he didn’t object to it.

“Goodnight, Alice,” he mumbled into the dark.

* * *

Gust was on his way back home when he saw Rosie. She was on her way up the stairs, Alice held her wrist for a moment before releasing it, allowing her to continue her way to the ruins. He could have shouted to get her attention, but she was taking care of QQ so he could finish his work, it was only fair he let her do hers. He briefly glanced at the young man, his pink hair shining under the few rays of sun that remained of the day, his body covered in bruises and his eye under a white cotton patch. No wonder Rosie was so upset when she saw him, if he looked this way after being discharged from the clinic.

He carried on his way home with his fresh canvas in one hand and his easel in the other. He had been working on the exterior of his project now that he had finished the blueprints. He had decided to spend the entire day on his usual spot near the river so he could capture the light on his design. He still had another day of work if he wanted it to be perfect, but right now he could only wait for the paint to dry and check the blueprints one more time.

After spending dinner with his family, he meticulously looked over his calculations, making sure they were perfect. It wasn’t his favorite task. In fact, it was what he enjoyed the least from his work, but it was what kept the buildings from falling apart so he knew it was vital, especially for a contest this big. 

After he was done, he found he still had a bit of time before bed. He sat near his open window, looking at the city bathed by moonlight to pass the time. He briefly spotted Rosie dragging a bag full of materials back to her home. It made his heart ache a little.

He knew he was being ridiculous, as he had spent the last night with her. That same morning, he had woken up without a blanket covering their bodies. Weirdly enough, however, he wasn’t cold. He’d felt a weight shuffle around in his arms, and couldn’t help the soft smile that made its way to his lips. It took a few moments to get his eyes adjusted to the light, but he could see Rosie’s sleeping form curled against his body. He’d wished time would stop. He was mesmerized looking at her dark, long eyelashes, and at the freckles that adorned her face.

Gust had hugged her close, happily inhaling her scent. He’d known the movement wouldn’t stir her; he’d learned a few months ago that Rosemary was a deep sleeper. He’d thought his heart would be hammering in his chest, but there was a warm sensation of calm instead. It felt oddly right.

He didn’t know how much time they’d spent like that. He drifted off back to sleep after some time, but he’d woken up as soon as she’d moved between his arms.

Gust didn’t know at what point he’d walked to the bed, nor when he’d let himself fall on it, but he held her pillow against his chest. Her scent remained on it, and suddenly his bed seemed too big for him. He could easily get used to it; waking up every morning with her wrapped between his arms, admiring her dark eyelashes and her deep blue eyes when she awoke. He could get used to the morning cuddles, or the soft peppering kisses she gave him to fluster him.

And thinking about that just made his heart heavier.

When did he stop being ok with being alone? Longing was an unwelcome feeling and he just wanted it to disappear. But he couldn’t just burst into her house and ask to stay.

He needed another way.


	13. Longing

Ezra was sitting on the grass next to the town entrance, sheltered from the sun under a tree. He didn’t want to wander too far in case Alice needed him for something. For now, he was content braiding a very thin rope into an intricate pattern.

“That looks pretty.”

Ezra flinched before he noticed Rose was looking over his shoulder. She was carrying what looked like a heavy bag, a tiny pig was just behind her legs.

“Thank you,” he shyly answered.

“Can I sit?” she asked, and he found he couldn’t say no to her, so he nodded. He genuinely liked her.

She joined him on the grass. With a sigh of relief she rested the heavy bag on the ground. It opened just enough for him to spot something shiny.

“Is that a topaz?” his voice pitched higher with emotion. If he could get his hands on materials he could stop being a nuisance for everyone.

“Yeah! Sometimes I get them for Ginger, she likes making necklaces with them,” she said with a smile.

“Can I know where you found it?” he couldn’t hide the hope in his voice, and at that moment, he didn’t care.

“Yeah, I was…” she trailed off, when her eyes stopped on the pig, who was nuzzling something at his left. “...QQ!”, Rosie scolded the pig, before Ezra could even realise what was happening, the little pig had snatched the apple Alice had given Ezra earlier that morning. The scene was so absurd he couldn’t help but giggle.

“I’m sorry!” Rose looked ashamed, “I would have warned you if I had noticed you had an apple before! But your work was so beautiful I… I didn’t pay attention to it,” she stammered.

He couldn’t help but laugh again. “It’s ok, really. I actually forgot I had it, he looks like he really enjoyed it too,” he smiled at her. “I’m actually more interested in where you found that topaz.”

“Oh. I was mining close to the waterfall, that’s usually where I can find them. You can have some of the ones I found earlier, just leave some so I can give the rest to Ginger”.

He could feel his good eye widening in surprise.

“But… but I can’t pay you for it,” he babbled.

“I never said anything about payment. I give these to Ginger for free, why would I charge you for them?” Rosie inquired, a light frown on her face. “I also have some crystals if they are useful to you,” she added.

“I…” he was lost for words.

“Please? Besides, I already feel bad QQ stole your snack,” she was looking at him like she wasn’t giving him a choice. So he gave up.

“I’ll accept just  _ one  _ topaz. And maybe just  _ one  _ crystal,” he remarked. If she wasn’t going to give him a choice, neither would he.

“Deal. If you take a snack with me. Otherwise I’ll give you half my loot.”

While Rose had gentle eyes most of the time, he discovered too soon that her gaze could also be determined and a bit scary.

“Deal,” he blurted. She eased her expression into one of happiness. “You really don’t give people other choices, huh?” The comment made her laugh.

“I’m really not forcing you into anything you don’t want to. Besides, I have someone who does exactly this for me, and I think I’m starting to understand why,” she said nonchalantly.

They talked for at least an hour. He learned a lot about the town. Where to find materials, who were the ones in charge of the shops, where he could sell his works, some names he should learn if he ever got into trouble, and to take care while approaching Higgins.

“He isn’t a bad guy he’s just… difficult to deal with,” she advised. “Anyway, we should probably eat something.”

* * *

It was already late by the time Gust was on his way home. He had finished hours ago, but didn’t want to risk damage to the painting, so he waited until it was completely dry before he covered it with a cloth or dared to move it. 

He made his way up to Rosie’s home, the lights still on. He figured that, since he had officially finished the work for the competition, he should take QQ back. 

It definitely wasn’t a made up excuse to see his girlfriend as soon as possible.

Gust gently leaned the canvas against her fence, making a beeline to her door, and knocked twice. Soon, he was facing a pair of deep blue eyes looking directly at him.

“Gust!” Rosie greeted him with a wide smile, her eyes lighting up as soon as she saw him.

“Hey, I uh…” he stammered as he tried to remember why he had gone to her house in the first place. It was obvious to him he had come just to see her, and the realisation of it made him self-conscious and flustered. It had been a long time since he was this nervous around her, but he couldn’t help but to think she would notice he was being ridiculous. 

“I just finished work and I figured I could take back Q…” he trailed off as Rosie’s arms wrapped over his shoulders, pulling him down a bit.

“I missed you,'' she said, bringing him closer. Gust relaxed under her arms, enveloping her frame between his as he hid his face on the crook of her neck, happily inhaling her scent.

They pulled back a little after what he felt was a few seconds, but Rosie didn’t completely let go of him, holding his cheeks in her tiny hands. She leaned closer, looking at his lips and then his eyes, and he couldn’t be happier to fill her silent request, closing the distance between their lips.

The kiss was soft and sweet at first, as most of the kisses they’ve shared before, but soon it grew more desperate, the last days they spent apart being at fault. He didn’t know who deepened the kiss, but it didn’t matter in the end. His tongue was pushing against hers, savoring her mouth with a hunger he’d felt before but tried to ignore. He had one of his hands buried in her hair and the other rested on her waist, pulling her firmly against him, Rosie kissing him back with the same intensity.

They had to break the kiss to breathe properly. Gust rested his forehead against Rosie’s, briefly looking at her swollen, wet lips, her breath tickling his. 

Then he felt a soft push on his legs from QQ, clearly searching for attention.

“I think he missed you too”, she said with a breathy laugh. Gust rolled his eyes but still crouched to get at QQ’s level.

“I guess,” he added, stroking QQ’s head while trying to get out of the happy dizziness the kiss had gotten him into. “I hope he didn’t give you trouble.”

“Hmmm, I think you have an apple thief,” Rosie added playfully. “It was ok though, the owner wasn’t mad at him.” she smiled at QQ.

“He’s a lucky pig,” he stated before he stood up and met her eyes again. The longer he stayed, the harder he found it was to go back home, so he decided the best was to go. “I’ll let you sleep now. See you tomorrow?” He tried to hide the hope in his voice, more out of habit than the need to guard himself from her.

Rosie nodded and squeezed his hand before she let him go. “See you tomorrow”.

* * *

“Hey mate, good to see you back,” Albert greeted Gust as soon as he crossed the door of their shared office. It had been two weird weeks being by himself, and if he had to be honest, he’d missed his friend.

After all, he had no one to talk to in the dead time between clients. Not that Gust was the talkative person while working to begin with, but nonetheless, it felt different.

“Good morning, Albert,” the blond greeted him in return and went to his workspace, QQ following behind as always, if not a bit clingier than usual. Albert was in a very good mood, not just because he had his best mate back, but because he felt he’d made a very good purchase.

“Have you met the new pal in town?” he felt the need to ask as soon as Gust was sitting in his chair. 

Albert had been on his way to the round table the day before, when he saw a young man with hair that matched the color of a strawberry milkshake, and tan, bruised skin, holding something shiny between his fingers. He already knew his name, since everyone in town was talking about him, so he approached him the second he saw him.

“Hey Ezra, what do you have there?” he’d asked as if he'd known him for a long time, startling the poor man as he was walking through the Peach Plaza.

“Hi, I, uh… I was looking where to sell this,” he nervously answered. Up close, Albert could see he had lovely freckles across his nose.

And a nice ass.

But what got his attention was what he was holding in his hands. Ezra had lifted a gorgeous braided topaz necklace for him to see. Albert had taken the item in his hands and admired the delicate work.

He couldn’t help but ask, “Did you do this yourself?”

“I… yes,” he’d answered, scratching the back of his neck nervously.

“Do you mind selling it to me?” he stared into his uninjured chocolate eye with curiosity. He hadn’t seen something this elaborate in Portia before, he was very interested in the item. He was sure it would come in handy.

“Are you serious?” Ezra asked in surprise.

“Yeah, it’s a very nice necklace. How much do you want for it?” Albert was already patting his pockets, looking for his wallet with one hand.

“I… I was thinking of getting 500 gols for it, though I can lower the price,” he mumbled.

“That’s too cheap for a work of this quality. What do you think about 2000 gols?” he insisted. Albert had the mentality he had to pay for what the work was worth it, since that’s what his family always did. Not that he had ever worried about money. 

“...Are you sure?” Ezra looked at him with disbelief.

“I can do more,” he answered nonchalantly.

“No-no, I… 2000 gols is ok. Thank you...” he trailed off, unsure of what to say.

“The name’s Albert,” he smiled and winked at him and handed him the money before he carried on with his day.

So he was now, the next day, in the office, still waiting for an answer. Gust turned around, an already annoyed glance playing in his eyes.

“I have seen him, but I haven’t met him yet. I won’t question why you are asking.”

“Because I need your opinion on this,” Albert continued anyway, getting up and showing him a topaz braided necklace, holding it to his face. “You think Phyllis will like it? I bought it from that Ezra boy. I haven’t seen something like this here,” to his surprise, Gust took the necklace from his hands, admiring the work. 

“I don’t know if Phyllis will like it coming from  _ you _ , but you are right. I haven’t seen something of this quality before,” he returned the necklace back to him.

“That’s what I wanted to hear”

* * *

Gust took a different path home from his usual way after work, focused on his search for the pink haired boy. Luckily for him, he found him at the central plaza, working on a wooden piece on a bench. He walked to him, a plan already established in his mind.

“You’re Ezra, right? I’ve seen the necklace Albert bought from you.” the young man looked at him with curiosity.

“Yeah, that 's me. Does… does he need to return the necklace?” he asked worryingly.

“No, I don’t think so. I’m here for business”, he explained. “My name is Gust, the other head of A&G. I was wondering if I could get you the materials, can you make a commision for me?”

Ezra smiled shyly at him. “Yes, I mean, it depends on what it is. I don’t have a workshop of my own so I can’t work at full capacity.

Gust smirked at the man. 

“I might have a solution to that.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are getting close to the chapter that will change the rating for good (psst, it's chapter 15 the one that will make this one be mature and 16 the one that'll change it to explicit), though I will add tags at the beginning of the chapter in case someone wants to skip it. On a side note, I'll be occasionally adding art for the chapters, I recently added a fanart on chapter 8 in case you want to see.  
> And here is a sneak peek of the next chapter:  
> _____________________________________________________________  
> He broke into a run, his throat dry, his stomach queasy, and he didn't stop until he reached the young man.  
> “They… they fell inside,” Ezra stammered between labored breaths.  
> Gust felt his entire world crumble.


	14. The poisoned water

It had been a bit longer than two weeks since Ezra had asked if he could share the workshop with her until he could have one of his own. It had been nice to have someone to talk to while working, sharing the space, and now Rosie understood why Albert and Gust worked together. Aside from the pleasant company, she thought they had great teamwork. Ezra was a genius with delicate and tiny stuff (as well as handling melted metals), while she was used to the heavy part of the work, allowing them to accept two commissions a day and split the work between them. 

They had already repaired the lift to the top of the waterfall the week before, and they were currently working on new lamps for the town. But with the good always came the bad.

Higgins was pissed.

At first he was, if not polite, not exactly rude with Ezra but, as soon as he joined Rosie, he had been a jerk to both of them. 

And she wasn’t sure on how to solve it.

Meanwhile, she had stuff to finish. Rosie had been mining for just more than an hour in search of copper wires they could reuse instead of wasting material making new ones. There were many inside the ruins in good condition, so they thought it would be a shame not to use them. Once she had what she considered enough, she made her way out of the ruins with the intention of having breakfast with Ezra. She was near Peach Plaza when she heard Gale, Merlín and Arlo talking.

“I told you, it’s been polluted,” Merlín claimed.

“But how?” Gale asked, frustration thick in his tone.

Rosie walked towards them to see what the problem was, but she couldn’t get close before a foul smell reached her nose. Sam approached them from the main gate.

“I just checked the river and it’s the same,” she said, “I went up to the ruins and found a broken valve but it seems as if someone broke it on purpose,” Sam added, a frown on her face.

“Can I go with you to take a look?” Rosie asked, four pairs of eyes now looked at her.

Arlo smirked at her.

“Just in time. I think we need a builder’s opinion on this matter. You should be ok as long as you’re with Sam,” he added.

“You say that as if I don’t train with you all in my spare time,” she argued.

“Not that you have that much spare time when you’re practically glued to Gust, and still not a member of the civil corps. You take Sam or I’ll give the job to Higgins,” Arlo refuted. Rosie blushed under his gaze, unable to come back with a response.

“It’s not like we have that much time. I can’t afford Ginger or Ezra getting sick. Let 's go, Sam”.

* * *

“No.”

“But-”

“No!”

“ _ Gust! _ ” Rosie insisted stubbornly, her hands in fists by her hips.

“I said no! You almost  _ died _ last time, I-!”, Gust found himself raising his voice, running a hand through his hair in exasperation. His throat felt dry, an uneasy but familiar feeling settling in his stomach “...I almost lost you,” his voice broke at the end with a tremble. He looked at the sky to blink away the tears that were prickling his eyes. 

The sun was almost setting, and they were standing at the front of her workshop. Ezra, who’d had his eyepatch removed a few days ago, was watching the scene from the worktable, not quite knowing what to do. Gust had overheard a conversation between Rosie and Ezra when he was on his way to the pond to get water for Ginger, and that’s where the whole argument had started. The fact that she had already gone to check with Sam once already had rubbed him in the wrong way, even more the fact she was planning on exploring the abandoned building in case the replacement of the pipe didn’t work. He still remembered clearly the night she went outside the other side of that cave, drenched in blood and covered in wounds, the same night he had been terrified of losing her. He wasn’t fond of her plan. In fact, it made him livid.

Rosie loosened her fists and moved close to him. Cupping his head in her hands, forcing him to look at her. A shaky breath escaped his lips.

“Gust, I… I can’t risk Ginger,” she spoke softly to him, her brows furrowed with worry. “Higgins doesn’t know how to fight, and Ezra can’t fight in his current condition, you know that,” she tried to reason with him. Rosie had used his weak point, though he felt she was being sincere about it.

It still hurt. It was as if she were putting him between her safety and Ginger’s. But he also knew she was the only builder capable of defending herself and taking a look inside the building. She really wasn’t giving him a choice, and he hated it.

“Besides, Sam is going to be with us, and we’ll go down to check only if the valve doesn’t stop the goo,” she brought his forehead down to rest against hers. He couldn’t help but take her hands that were resting on his face between his, squeezing them. He still wasn’t convinced. “I promise I’ll take care, and that I’ll come back, no matter what it takes,” she added.

“You don’t know that,” he whispered. “Let me go with you,” he practically begged. He knew he wouldn’t be able to fight as well as she did, or to protect her, but at least he could be able to help if they were outnumbered.

“You go get water for Ginger, we don’t know if the pond will be contaminated too. Then, I’ll let you come with me,” she insisted. “We’ll install the pipe and if it doesn’t work, I’ll wait for you on the lift before entering, deal?”

He wasn’t happy that she wasn’t going to wait for them to go together, but he supposed it was the best deal he would get. He could hurry and be with them in case something happened, and he was afraid to admit his girlfriend seemed to have a magnet for that kind of trouble. Gust sighed heavily and wrapped his arms around her, hugging her tight and giving a kiss to her temple.

“I won’t take long,” he accepted in defeat.

* * *

Ezra and Rosie put the pipe on a rolling cart, since she doubted they would be able to carry it all the way to the waterfall by themselves, they were both pulling on the handle. A sword hung on Rosie’s back. Thanks to that, the trip didn’t take them longer than usual, and they pushed the cart to the lift. They entered the abandoned building by the unused sewer pipe, the smell already overwhelming.

“Have you found something, Sam?” Rosie asked as soon as the blonde was in her sight.

“Same as before, kid. I still don’t have clues on who would have done this,” Sam shook her head. “But I’m actually very impressed you two managed to finish the pipe today.”

Ezra and Rosie smiled at her.

“Let’s just hope this works,” Ezra answered, pushing the cart to where they had to start working.

It was a relatively easy installation, easier with Sam helping to hold the pipe while they were working on it. They were done in less time than what they took to arrive. When everything was finished, Rosie turned the valve to the right.

“Ez, please check if something changed on the river,” she requested. 

Ezra was on his way to do as she asked, but as soon as he was at the improvised entrance, he heard a strong metallic noise coming from the tube above Rosie and Sam, and then a strong current of water pushed them into the giant hole in the ground.

* * *

Gust was relieved when he saw the pond was still free of goo, but he still hurried to fill two buckets with water and quickly make his way back home. He left them in the entrance for uncle Russo to take care of, and then he was off to his room, grabbing a sword from underneath his bed. He had been training with Russo before going to work since that day he asked him to take him under his teaching again, but he hoped it wasn’t necessary that day. He made his way to the Central plaza almost running, his heart hammering in his chest, and just when he was at the gate, he could spot Ezra’s light pink hair in the distance.

He broke into a run, his throat dry, his stomach queasy, and he didn't stop until he reached the young man.

“They… they fell inside,” Ezra stammered between labored breaths.

Gust felt his entire world crumble.

“Bring Dr. Xu,” was all he said before he resumed his race to the lift.

This couldn’t be happening again. It should be a nightmare, he had these kinds of nightmares before. It  _ had _ to be. Gust entered the abandoned building. Seeing the hole in the floor, no doubt the one Rosie and Sam had fallen into, he felt like falling to his knees. He had to get down there. Looking around he spotted an elevator. He ran to it, praying that it was still in working order. He frantically pressed the button, his heart beat drumming in his ears as he waited for any noise that indicated it worked. The few seconds it took for it to reach his floor were an eternity to him. He stepped on the platform and pushed the lever to descend.

_ Please be alive, please be alive, please be alive _ , he prayed again and again.

He reached the last floor. The centre of the room was a deep trench of muddy water. He thanked the gods the hole was just above the body of water and not the concrete sidewalk that was just to the right. He allowed himself to breath again knowing they’d at least had something to break their fall. He was still uneasy, but he was somewhat relieved Rosie wasn’t there. He swam his way up to the sidewalk, and followed the waterway in a quick pace, until he reached a second platform. This one moved on its own in a repetitive pattern of going up and down. He descended this one too, sword ready in hand.

To stir his nerves again, the scene in front of him was very similar to that terrible night. Bodies of bandirats were scattered on the floor, following a bloodied path. He quickened his pace.

Until he finally saw her.

Rosie was back to back with Sam, skillfully defending herself, cutting and kicking whenever something tried to reach for her. Her clothes were wet with rat blood. A weird sensation of pride and awe mixed with fear and relief flooded him. Sam was doing her part at her back, taking special care of not letting her side of the bandirats get to Rosie’s side. Gust had to repress the urge to cover his ears everytime the rats screamed in agony. 

As the last bandirat fell, Rosie spotted him.

“Gust!” she looked at him apologetically, but before she could say another thing, he wrapped her in his arms.

“Why, every time you have to do something simple, it ends up like this?” he asked with a shaky breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Wait, wait, I’m filthy!” she tried to squirm away from him, the blood that was dripping from her was soaking into his own clothes. He let out a breathy laugh.

“Aren’t we all?” he asked, pulling away a little.

Rosie could be covered in whatever she wanted, she wasn’t going to wash away the relief he felt. He didn’t mind getting dirty as long as she was alive.

“Hey lovebirds, not to interrupt but, we still have a problem,” Sam urged.

They continued walking through the sewers, constantly encountering more bandirats to fight. This time though, it was easier, since they were sharing the enemies between three people. 

“When did you learn to fight pretty boy?” Sam asked while punching a bandirat in the face.

“I have my secrets,” he answered, his sword ripping through the body of another enemy. It wasn’t as if he had the time to explain.

They eventually reached a circular chamber. The moment they stepped into the center, more bandirats than they’d seen so far appeared. Sam quickly reacted and pushed both Rosie and Gust away from the danger. She dodged the first blows, and took care of a few of them. However, soon it was clear she was outnumbered. They managed to push her out of the circular platform onto one to the side. The rest of the bandirats though, switched their focus to Gust and Rosie. They walked backwards in a defensive stance, him a step forward in case they decided to attack all at once.

What he didn’t see coming was his own girlfriend attacking first, a determined look in her eyes which he hadn’t seen before. He jumped just after her, trying to help as best as he could. He didn’t have the same skills as her, but he wasn’t bad himself. Panting, he took his sword out of the last bandirat.

Or at least, he thought it was the last one.

“Art thou the one that ended my son?!” A deep voice filled the chamber.

Gust was startled. Not that he didn’t know now that talking bandirats existed, but he hadn’t thought he would listen to one himself.

“Are you behind the goo?” Rosie asked in return. The bandirat smirked devilishly at them.

“O ye doth amaze me to figure that out! Tis true! Now prepare thyself.”

The rat king charged against them, and they barely dodged in time. Gust stood fast and charged first, keen on maintaining the focus of the Rat King far from Rosie. The rat king stopped Gust’s sword with his blade, pushing him backwards. Rosie charged from behind, a slash hit on the rat’s back, making him let out a shrill scream. He turned around quickly to hit back at Rosie, but she managed to dodge in time. It was now Gust’s turn to attack, but when he was going to hit him, the rat pushed him, tossing him to the wall. 

“Gust!” she yelled, the worry clear in her voice.

The hit ripped the air from his lungs, and he helplessly gasped for breath, his gaze blurry. He watched horrified as Rosie charged the Rat King again, another shriek left his mouth as she made a cut on the rat’s arm. Gust did his best to stand up as quickly. As he approached the two in battle, the Rat King tossed Rosie towards him. He caught her, his hands holding her hips. The force of it pushed him back into the wall, the air pushed out of his body once more. Rosie regained her feet immediately, charging again with a fierce cry. Gust watched through blurred eyes as she dodged the next hit and jumped, aiming at his neck.

The rat king gave one last scream of horror, and everything was over. Rosie let her sword fall to the ground. She rushed to where Gust lay.

“Gust, calm down. Breathe,” she begged, her hand clasped on one of his. 

He tried to calm down but a coughing fit took over him, unable to stop. He felt Rosie helping him sit up, her hand holding his back until he could breathe again.

“Damn kid, you do know how to take care of yourself. No wonder you survived the cave the first time,” Sam said between heavy breaths.

Gust still had Rosie’s hand glued to his, close to his heart. He was panting heavily, but was over all ok. He found he couldn’t say anything to Sam but she was right, Rosie was indeed able to fight.

“We should… probably get moving,” he mumbled, standing slowly. Both of them nodded, but Rosie snuck an arm around his waist, giving him support.

They made their way to a valve and a lever, which Rosie examined carefully. 

“I think this is it. I think this is the one that’s polluting the water!” she beamed.

“Please do the honors, and let’s get out of here,” said the blonde, and Gust couldn’t agree more on it.

They made their way back to the surface, going out by the back side of the building. The sun had settled hours ago, and the moon was already high in the sky. They went around the building to find Dr. Xu, Arlo, Gale and Ezra waiting for them.

“Remmy is inside searching for you, but I think it’s unnecessary at this point”, Arlo said as soon as he saw them.

Dr. Xu hurriedly walked to them.

“Any major wounds?”he asked in his professional voice.

“None at all. Though we almost drowned on the muddy water, and Gust was tossed against the wall twice,” Rosie answered, squeezing his hand softly.

“Then you drank the water. I need you all to come to the clinic.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one line for the next chapter:  
> To say Gust was scared was an understatement.


	15. Commission of happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the recent events, Gust makes a decision.  
> He doesn't want to be away from Rosie anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! So, this is a chapter that will mark the beginning of the mature/explicit chapters. As I said, these will be labeled.  
> This chapter has (after the first break of line): Mentions of sex.

To say Gust was scared was an understatement.

He couldn’t shake away his nerves or his fear as he placed the last lit candle in his heart design. Seeing it complete just fueled the sensation, his heart felt as though it might burst out of his chest at any moment.

A few days had passed since the whole poisoned water incident, and things were already back to normal. He could walk without problems and the big bruises have almost vanished. Gust thought they’d been lucky that night, even if they did end a bit poisoned from the water. Nothing Phyllis’ remedy couldn’t fix though.

He had, of course, spoken with his family before even attempting to get too ahead of himself. He’d been worried sick about leaving his family, especially Ginger, alone; but out of anyone she looked as the happiest of them all. They’d had a long conversation about how he was worried because he wouldn’t be there  _ all _ the time for her, but in the end she had convinced him she was going to be ok.

“You can’t wait for me to get better forever, Gust. I’m stronger than you think I am, and it’s time for you to worry about your own life”, Ginger had told him, a frown on her soft features. “Besides, it’s not like I’m not going to see you anymore, and at the end of the day, I’ll have earned a sister” her smile was sincere. 

So there he was, carefully walking to the center of his rose petals and candle heart, watching as the last rays of sun disappeared in the distance. He was overly aware of the weight of the small box hiding in his front pocket as he tried not to fidget with it.

Was it too soon? It probably was, right? They’ve been dating for just a few months, and here he was, trying to speed things up because he was sure of what he wanted for the rest of his life. But what if it was indeed too soon? What was he going to do if she said no? He had a few handful of people who knew about the situation and it could turn a bit ugly if this didn’t work as he was intending.

What if he ruined everything they had? If this made her drift away? What if this was a mistake?

“Gust?” her kind voice pulled him out of his thoughts. 

He turned to face her, her soft features warmly illuminated by the dim light of the candles. He watched as she took her shoes off and placed them beside his, a small smile making its way to his lips as Rosie walked to him. Gust walked to the edge of the heart, extending an inviting hand to her, hoping he wasn’t shaking too much. She gently wrapped her fingers around his, and he walked with her to the center of the heart. He faced her as he took her other hand, gently kissing her knuckles as she watched with curiosity. He took a deep breath to try and steady his mind before he lowered both their hands, never letting them go.

“I, um…”, he searched in his thoughts for what he wanted to say, but words were escaping him. “I’m sorry I’ve never spoken passionately to you or promised anything to you,” what an awful way to start. He knew he was being terrible, he was averting his gaze, unable to look at her in the eye, his heartbeat loud in his ears, “I… I once said that if one day my sister finds true love, then I would leave Portia and chase my dream. But now…”, he finally gathered the courage to look into her eyes, and he thought for a second they were glistening, “I don’t think I could leave because I found something more important here,” he told her adoringly, letting go of her hands to search for the box in his pocket, kneeling on the sand as he asked “Please marry me?” his voice quivered with fear as he opened the tiny box to show her the two rings that rested inside.

His heart sank as the tears slid off Rosie’s face, and was startled when she kneeled and wrapped her arms around his shoulders, hiding her face in his neck. He had fallen on his butt, wrapping an arm on her waist, the box with the rings on his free hand. He was utterly confused.

“Silly boy, you…”, she mumbled into his neck with a watered voice, and she pulled back to look at his eyes, hers filled with emotion. “You don’t need to give up on your dream for me. I’ll always be with you, no matter where you want us to be.” She placed a cold hand on his cheek, and he could feel his eyes widen in surprise.

“Do you mean…?” he whispered, and a bubbly, soft laugh escaped her lips.

“I’ll marry you, Gust,” she caressed his cheek with her thumb, a bright smile illuminating her features as happy tears continued to flow from the corner of her eyes.

Gust felt like crying too, as the relief flooded his body and the fear was replaced with happiness. He had been so scared of her saying no that he’d forgotten she could actually say yes. He left the small box on the sand, so he could lift her chin to bring her close, kissing her with utter adoration. Gust could feel Rosie’s smile, unaware that he was smiling too. 

“I love you,” he whispered on her lips. He hadn’t thought of saying it, the words leaving his lips without prompt, but now that he had said them, it was as if a heavy weight on his heart had lifted.

Rosie looked at him as new tears filled her eyes, and soon she was peppering his face with kisses, finally stopping on his lips again and mumbling against them, “I love you, too”.

* * *

Albert was already working when Gust arrived at the office, with a smile for once. He stopped to rest his chin on his fist and look at his friend.

“I’ll assume she said yes?”he asked, a smile playing on his lips.

“That, she did,” Gust said, letting his body rest on his chair, QQ happily going to his bed.

“Never doubted it,” he admitted. He really didn’t think, not even for a moment, Rosie would say no to Gust. Not when he was aware of how she looked at him. “Are you ok with everything, though?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“Everything?” Gust asked, turning his body to look at his friend.

“I mean, everything that implies marrying Rosie tomorrow”, he vaguely added. Gust was arching a brow.

“I don’t think I’m following,” he admitted.

Albert tried to think in a way to break it down to him in the nicest way possible, but he just couldn’t. He honestly thought Gust hadn’t really thought of  _ everything _ that implied being married. Well, it was something that didn’t actually require marriage, but he was  _ sure _ Gust hadn’t experienced it yet.

“...You do realize the wedding night is part of the whole marriage thing, right?” he asked, deciding on a subtler question than what he could have asked.

Albert could easily pinpoint the moment Gust finally noticed he was asking if he was alright with the idea of having sex. He knew Gust had little experience, if any experience at all. After all, Albert was the one having affairs at school, hanging out with girls and boys, while Gust kept being a hermit in his room.

He observed as the color rushed to his friend’s face, all the way up to his ears, an expression of disbelief clear on his features. He opened his mouth but didn’t say a thing, so Albert waited for a bit to see if his friend actually had a response. When said answer never came, he added, “Seriously, have you ever had sex before?” He asked. This, however, seemed to shake his friend a bit and he recovered his ability to talk.

“I’m not answering that,” he said, turning around to hide his nose in his work.

“So that’s a no,” Albert acknowledged. “Then my wedding gift may come in handy. Well, one of my gifts at least.”

“I’m  _ not  _ talking about this with you, Albert,” his voice sounded restrained, as it did when he was angry.

“I swear I’m not making fun of you, Gust,” and he wasn’t. He genuinely wanted to help. He stood up, both presents wrapped in hand, and he walked the short path up to him.

“ _ Albert _ ,” he warned.

“Ok, I won’t talk about it anymore. Just...”, he handed the items to him “...just open them later? And please take care of them, Ezra helped me with one of them,” he pleaded. Gust was looking at him as if he very much wanted to punch him in the face, but he sighed and accepted the gifts.

“Fine,” Gust gave up.

“That’s all I’m asking for.”

* * *

Ezra was nervously chewing on his lip, trying to read what they needed for the remaining commissions as his brain refused to acknowledge the words. He hadn’t seen Rosie or Gust to know how things had gone, and he began to worry about everything. He didn’t mind returning the money Gust gave him to do the rings, since he had refused payment when he knew who he was going to make them for. He was willing to work for free as long as he had the materials, it was, after all, for one of the people he owed his life. If Rosie hadn’t asked for help, if she wasn’t there that night, it would have been too late for him, and it wasn’t a favour easily returned.

Gust had then told him he would have to search another person to do them, and Ezra hadn’t much of a choice than to accept the 10,000 gols per ring. That was ridiculously expensive for him, it was enough for him, Alice and Jack to live comfortably for the rest of the year and part of the other, though he wasn’t sure if Alice would let him pay for something at the house.

He let his eyes run through the paper a third time, but as soon as he read the words he kept forgetting the meaning. Then, a familiar voice called him.

“You knew it all this time!” Rosie accused him as soon as she crossed the gate of the workshop.

Ezra sighed, the relief washing the nervousness, and once he really glanced at Rosie, he couldn’t help but laugh at her expression.

“Of course I did, who did you think made the rings?” he asked, a wide smile playing on his lips.

“How?” she inquired, a pink tint under her freckles. He already knew what she was really asking.

“I mean, you didn’t make it too hard for me, you know? You spend hours mining and running from one side to the other”, he confessed. And it was the truth, he had practically made them under her nose without her noticing at all. 

He would be lying though, if he said he wasn’t scared of getting caught at first. He relaxed when he noticed she wasn’t at her workshop for hours, and then he understood why Gust had suggested sharing the workshop with Rosie.

“Higgins is not going to let you use his anyway,” Gust had said.

Ezra noticed Rosie was walking towards him, he extended his arms invitingly, wrapping her in a hug when she reached him, her arms barely squeezing him, always careful to not hurt him. He’d found out quickly she was a very physically affectionate person, and he didn’t mind at all.

“Thank you, they’re gorgeous”, she told him honestly, burying her face in his chest.

“I’m just glad you like them”.

* * *

He was going to kill Albert.

Of all the gifts Gust could receive, it  _ had _ to be an erotic book. He really should have seen it coming. He briefly wondered if there was more on his best friend’s mind than sex and money, but decided not to think too much about it, the anger from the morning reigniting again.

He didn’t know if he was flustered because Albert had actually taken his time in search of this kind of book or because he had stirred doubts inside him. Before this, he was gleaming with happiness, but the moment Albert started with his questioning, he began questioning himself too.

Was he really ok with it? He knew he wanted to get more… physical with his soon-to-be wife, but now he was terrified he wouldn’t meet Rosie’s expectations, or if she had expectations at all. He couldn’t say he was experienced, all he did in school was study, and the occasional hang outs where he drank with Albert until he left him by himself to leave with his new conquer. There  _ was _ a reason Master Vera gave him QQ, she wouldn’t qualify him as boring and closed without a good motive. 

To be fair, it wasn’t as if he had been closed at all from meeting new people. At least, not at first. But he noticed the way people gossiped about him. He got the feeling all they wanted from him was his wealth or getting their way with him, but nothing more. With Rosie it was different, she had accepted him the way he was, and she never attempted to take advantage of his status, even paying sometimes when they had lunch together. Rosie understood what he meant even when he had trouble trying to show his feelings. She really didn’t have any idea how good she was for him.

He still wanted very much to punch Albert though. So he opened the other gift, hoping Albert didn’t drag Ezra into making something similar to the first present and that it was a normal one, the last thing he wanted was another nose in his business.

But what he discovered in the package was far from erotic.

Inside he found a leather photo album, the cover was made of thin wood, clearly hand carved by Ezra. He sat in his bed, running his finger on the delicate pattern, and then opened the album. Inside there was only a note that read “For the new memories and the new life you’ll have. From Albert and Ezra”.

He held the note between his fingers and muttered, “Idiot.”


End file.
